A man who left a girl aged 15 fearing she would be raped after meeting her at a north Cumbria hotel has been handed a 45-month prison sentence.
German national Sven Halstein, 37, initially began online chat with the teenager through dating app Badoo on June 6.
Carlisle Crown Court heard the girl made plain her age and that she was messaging from school.
As their conversation moved to WhatsApp, Halstein sent lewd photos to the girl, whom he arranged to meet at Penrith at Penrith’s Premier Inn the following day.
They went to a room where Halstein pushed himself on to the girl and engaged in sexual activity. “During the course of that she was able to get hold of her phone and messaged her friend, saying she was ‘going to get raped’,” said Rob Wyn Jones, prosecuting.
Friends and the girl’s father went to the hotel, where she was seen to be upset and shaky.
Halstein was detained and analysis of his phone showed he had previously made the web search sex with minors in England.
On arrest he told police: “I just wanted to have fun.”
But the harrowing impact of his sexual offending against the girl was outlined in a graphic statement provided by the girl’s mother. “She describes her hope that (her daughter) will be strong enough to get through all of this,” said Mr Wyn Jones, “but worries that the family will never be the same again.”
Counselling had been provided for the girl, who spoke about rarely leaving her home now. “She feels guilty, ashamed and blames herself for what happened,” added the prosecutor.
Yet the judge who passed sentence today told Halstein it had been his responsibility that the child was kept safe.
Halstein admitted a six offences — engaging in penetrative and non-penetrative sexual activity with a child, sexual communication with a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence by booking the hotel room.
Brendan O’Leary, mitigating, said dad-of-two Halstein, of no fixed address, had no previous criminal convictions and had entered early guilty pleas, adding: “Mr Halstein expressed to me, and expresses to your honour, his genuine and sincere remorse for this offending.”
Imposing an immediate prison sentence, Judge Nicholas Barker told Halstein: “I am satisfied of the following: that you knew that she was 15 and, as such, that she was young and vulnerable; and you knew that your activity was illegal.”
Halstein must sign the sex offenders’ register and comply with a strict prevention order, both for life. He will also be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
