A ‘determined and manipulative’ paedophile messaged a young teenager’s mum to out him as gay after targeting him online.
Police were already investigating Mark Lee in relation to another boy – known only as Boy 1 – when they came across a screenshot of the second boy, referred to as Boy 2, on his phone. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, it showed him wearing a school uniform, and in other videos it showed them together with the caption ‘Mine’.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Lee, 21, had gone on to message Boy 2’s mum on Facebook after the boy tried to break things off. Lee, from Wythenshawe in Greater Manchester, admitted they had met in person, said that they were in a relationship and lied about his age, claiming he was 17.
It was only when the police attended at his mother’s home, to inform her that Lee had been grooming her son, that the scale of his abuse became clear. Reading her victim personal statement to the court, she said from a young age her son was playing with dolls, dressed up in his sister’s clothing and had lots of female friends, and that she had a feeling he was going to come out to her as gay, and she was waiting for him to tell her when he was ready.
She said: “He had this taken away from him, to tell me he was gay, because Mark Lee told me about their relationship. All I ever wanted to do was to protect my son and I couldn’t.”
Prosecuting, Adam Roxborough said that in February last year, the mum of Boy 1 picked him and two friends up from the cinema. He was under 16 at the time. He was also gay and open about his sexuality including with his family, the court heard.
Mr Roxborough said: “One of his friends asked him, in the presence of his mum: ‘Have you told your mum about your boyfriend?’ A conversation began between Boy 1 and his mum, and he said his boyfriend was 17. He showed her a picture of the male and provided his Snapchat account name. She was suspicious as he looked older.
“She messaged her sister asking her to look for his account on the app. She then looked for the name on Instagram and found an account. This showed that he was a DJ and working in nightclubs – this male was clearly older than 17.”
The mum messaged Lee about her son, and he told her they just flirted and he was 16. She later searched through her son’s phone and found Snapchat messages and images of her son’s genitals which had been shared with Lee, and other messages which showed they had discussed engaging in sexual acts.
She also found that he had visited Lee on his Google Maps history. The police were contacted and a search of Lee’s address revealed 11 indecent images of children on his phone, as well as internet searches including terms to do with child pornography.
In May of 2023, during a search of Lee’s phone, officers found a chatroom app in which he had set his preferences to show that he was interested in 13-year-old children. In the chatroom Lee reported to be 15-years-old and used age filters to make himself appear younger.
The court heard that, as part of that phone search, officers discovered a screenshot from a TikTok profile of a young teen in school uniform. “Looking at the defendant’s TikTok account, they found a video showing the defendant with a young male, and it looked like the male from the screenshot,” Mr Roxborough continued. “It was captioned ‘Mine’ and it appeared to document their relationship.”
Detectives spoke to Boy 2 and his mother, and he confirmed he had been in contact with Lee and that they had met in person. The boy’s mother said she had also been in contact with Lee. Officers found chat logs between Boy 2 and Lee, which included images of Lee’s genitals, screenshots of bank transfers between Lee and the boy, messages indicating they had met in person and 21 indecent images of the boy. Boy 2 was under 16 at the time.
Boy 2 told police they had met online and discussed getting a hotel room together but never did as he ‘wasn’t ready’. He also said Lee told him he was 17. He said they took photos together, said Lee sent him money, bought him vapes and gave him his credit card details to buy things.
“He said that when they broke up, the defendant began contacting him on different platforms, got his sister to message him and that Lee even messaged his mum on Facebook,” the prosecutor added. The court heard that Lee had a previous conviction for indecent image offences where he was handed a suspended sentence, was banned from having contact with anyone under the age of 18 and prohibited from possessing any images of anyone under the age of 18. He was also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to comply with.
Sitting together in court, the mums of the boys took it in turns to read their victim personal statements. Getting visibly emotional, the mum of the first boy said: “Over the last 12 months it has put a strain on our relationship. This is a burden he must carry and all we can do is provide our support,” she said. “We all hope to find closure and start to rebuild our relationship.”
The mum of the second boy said: “I first heard of Mark Lee when I randomly got a Facebook message from him. Since that day my life has turned upside down.” She said she had tried to speak to her son about Lee but he ‘closed up’ until she took him for a drive and he told her ‘everything’. The mum said Lee had lied to her about his age and said he ‘made her feel sorry for him’.
“It was all a huge lie, he was in his 20s and he was grooming my son. He knew he had mental health issues and was vulnerable – he knew exactly what he was doing,” she wept. “The day I found out what was going on, my heart broke into a million pieces. All I ever wanted to do was to protect my son and I couldn’t.”
Mitigating, David Toal said there was an element of ‘addiction to using messaging apps’ in Lee’s case. “Most of them don’t use it for this purpose,” Judge Conrad interjected. Mr Toal said: “The defendant has recognised what he has done. He has taken steps to rehabilitate himself.” He said Lee was undergoing rehabilitative courses in prison. He said Lee had previously been in full time work and has a supportive family.
Sentencing, Judge Alan Conrad KC said: “The facts of this case show you to be a determined and manipulative paedophile who targets vulnerable children, lies to them and gets in their heads with the aim of obtaining sexual gratification. You cannot or will not respond to court orders.”
Judge Conrad said he was ‘entirely satisfied’ that Lee is a ‘dangerous offender’. He sentenced Lee to an extended sentence, comprising of five years in prison, and an extra three years on licence. Lee, of Greenbrow Road, will have to serve at least two-thirds of the five year sentence, before the Parole Board decide whether it is safe for him to be released.
He was ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for life. A further sexual harm prevention order was imposed. He pleaded guilty to failing to comply with notification requirements, breaching sexual harm prevention orders, making indecent photos of children, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child and meeting a child following sexual grooming.
Speaking after the case, investigative assistant and case manager Orla Lynch, of GMP’s Sex Offender Management Unit, said: “We know by nature that many offenders can be extremely deceptive and take bigger and bigger risks over time to satisfy their own needs.
“Lee had every opportunity to attempt rehabilitation back into society following his past conviction, but it is clear that he had complete disregard for the order placed on him, our team, and most importantly, the two teenage boys he abused. He shamelessly did everything he could to fulfil his abominable desires.
“As a unit, we have massively improved the way that we manage sex offenders in the community and in the last 12 months alone, have conducted over 4,000 visits on registered sex offenders. Whenever we become aware of breaches, as in this case, we make arrests quickly, and work closely with our criminal justice partners to ensure we bring as many offenders before the courts as possible.
“Officers and staff in our Sex Offender Management Unit conducted almost 10,000 visits in the last year alone, showing the team’s relentless commitment to ensuring the safer management of offenders.
“Lee’s offending has been traumatising to his young victims, who have been supported throughout, and will now need to try move on with their lives after they have been turned upside down. He is a clear danger to society and this sentence today reflects this. Protecting children comes above all else, and we take no second chances when a breach is committed.”
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