Newport Crown Court (Image: Anthony Morgan / Alamy)
Last Updated: 3 minutes ago
A 53-year-old man who engaged in sexualised online conversations with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl has been handed a suspended prison sentence at Newport Crown Court.
The sting
Gerry Govier, of Neath Abbey Grove, Newport, had no idea he was communicating with an undercover female police officer who was posing as a teenage girl called Carla. Prosecutor Joshua Scouller told the court Govier had sent the fake child an image of his penis and requested “not nude or rude” photographs in return. His offending took place between July 18, 2023 and August 11, 2023.
False claims
When officers arrived at Govier’s address, he attempted to talk his way out of trouble. He told police he had been the victim of identity fraud, insisting he had been hacked and blackmailed. Those allegations were looked into by officers but were found to be entirely untrue.
Defence arguments
Govier, a former ferry worker, ultimately admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. His barrister Nigel Fryer told the court: “He had the good sense to plead guilty, albeit at a relatively late stage in advance of his trial.”
Mr Fryer said the loss of Govier’s job had hit him hard, describing his employment as “the mainstay of his life”. The court heard Govier had experienced a breakdown linked to mental health difficulties and had previously turned to alcohol and cocaine as a “coping mechanism”.
“The defendant is a man of previous good character and is ill-suited towards a custodial setting,” Mr Fryer added. “He is terrified over today’s proceedings.”
Sentencing
Judge Carl Harrison opted not to send Govier straight to prison. He was given a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work along with a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Govier must sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order. He was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.
