Man sentenced for sending ‘obscene’ messages to child

A DUNGANNON man has been sentenced to three years on probation for sending “obscene” messages to a 13-year-old girl.

The town’s magistrate court heard that Mark Larmour (31), of Lakeview Park, committed the offence on June 8, 2019 when he messaged the child via the Snapchat app. The messages were of a “sexual nature”, the prosecutor told the court. Images were also sent by the defendant, but these were not deemed to be explicit.

Defence counsel, Noel Dillon, said, “On Snapchat, [the victim] put on her story, ‘Say something you have always wanted to say to me’ and around 10 minutes later she received a reply from someone called ‘Mark’ who made an obscene remark.”

Further messages were exchanged during that evening, the court heard.

District judge, Michael Ranaghan, clarified that, “The injured party does give her rationale about why she continued with the conversation because she wanted to show other people what was going on once she realised it was from an adult.”

Police were notified of the offence via a third party after Larmour publicly faced the accusations on social media and they received the screenshots.

Mr Dillon said that Larmour was suffering from social anxiety after being “outed” on social media for the offence.

“His social anxiety is as such that he doesn’t like to leave the house. He has a younger brother that gets his groceries for him and speaks to him.

“As much as possible he tries to stay home,” Mr Dillon explained.

Larmour would not be able to commit to the often-public nature of community service work, the court heard.

Mr Dillon added that Larmour had “expressed his regret” and said that the “child did not deserve this”.

In sentencing, Mr Ranaghan said, “I personally feel that these offences deserve the gravity that can be brought to such offending by the Crown Court. I say that not based upon the available sentence but the understanding that those who commit offences against children need to have about how much it needs to be stopped.”

The pre-sentence report stated that Larmour was in the high category for “intervention and support”.

“That is the only thing saving your client from custody today,” the judge said.

Mr Ranaghan sentenced the defendant to the maximum length of probation at three years, where he will be monitored and receive support not to offend again.

The judge warned Larmour that if he breached the order “you will be back before me” and that he would face the maximum custodial sentence.