Sign up to FREE email alerts from KentLive - Daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A woman, 23, posed as a man to trick two teenage girls into performing sex acts on themselves and send explicit images online.

Emily Timms pretended to be a 20-year-old called Joey Knight and set up a fake social media profile, to communicate with her victims via Facetime.

She spoke to her victims, one from Tonbridge, on the video-chat service while she watched in a darkened view and adopted a man's voice, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Timms admitted three charges of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent, one of causing child pornography and one of causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography between July 2012 and March last year.

Timms, from Crawley, West Sussex, was jailed for three years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

She denied a further offence of causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography, and one of blackmail in relation to the watch.

These not guilty pleas were accepted by the prosecution and ordered to be left on the court file.

During her online deceit which spanned five years, Timms sent one victim a deodorant can and a vibrator and asked her to perform sex acts on her self.

Showered her victims with gifts

She showered her victims with other 'gifts', including a designer Marc Jacobs watch, flowers, soft toys, chocolates, Champagne, flowers and a balloon with a note saying 'Happy Birthday gorgeous, love Joey'.

Timms spoke to the girls over the phone using a male voice but used her own voice when she pretended to be Joe's sister 'Daisy' who spoke about her 'brother's feelings.

Timms was finally rumbled when contact was made with the real Joey Knight, who was a friend of a friend on her Facebook account.

She was confronted, but then threatened to publish the images of one of the teenage girls if she did not return the watch.

The court heard the second victim only discovered she had been conned when police tracked her down.

'Confused by her sexuality'

Urging the court to impose a suspended sentence, Alexia Zimbler, defending, said the 23-year-old was confused by her sexuality at the time and, although she acted dishonestly, she did not realise she was committing a crime.

However, Judge Charles Macdonald QC said the offences were so serious that 'proper punishment and deterrence' were required.

He said: "I do accept she didn't believe she was committing a crime although she was adopting a dishonest trick.

"She claims to have been confused by her sexuality and inspired by a TV programme called Catfish to adopt a false identity in the hope of finding a happy ending with a female partner.

"I accept this is a situation the defendant currently believes but I don't accept it was her real thinking at the time of the offences.

"Doubts about sexual orientation are common in young people and can be, and are, widely tested without pretending to be a man to deceive an underage girl, let alone two.

"It is obtaining sexual gratification by deception."

'Betrayed with a loss of trust and self confidence'

Prosecutor Clare Huntley said contact was made in 2015 with one victim after the schoolgirl 'liked' a photo on an Instagram account in the name of Joey Knight.

They then communicated online before engaging in phone conversation, with 'Joey' knowing from the start she was 16.

Arrangements were made on several occasions to meet but Timms always failed to show, only to then send flowers to apologise.

Miss Huntley said: "Throughout the time she was in communication with this person, anything sexual that took place was done because the person suggested it, it was done on their terms, and she felt obliged to carry out their requests.

"She didn't appreciate that the person she was communicating with was female."

The victim was said to have been left feeling betrayed, with a loss of trust and self-confidence.

It transpired Timms's had had similar contact with another 16-year-old girl two years earlier.

For 14 months, they spoke every day and the teenager was also sent gifts. They arranged to meet more than 30 times but Joey never turned up.

Miss Huntley said the second victim was also asked to perform sex acts on herself, over Facetime, in a dark room with 'Joey's' face hidden'.

She added: "She did this because she believed she was in love with the person and would never have done so if she didn't believe this person was not who they said they were, never mind a female

"In fact, she did not discover Joey was a female until the police were taking her statement and told her."

'Wasn't malicious'

The girl eventually 'broke up' with Joey, although Timms continued to send her messages.

Miss Zimbler told the court Timms was genuinely remorseful and embarrassed, but had made 'a serious mistake' when she was confused about her sexuality.

She said: "At no point did she believe for a moment she was committing a criminal offence. She accepts she was not being honest and hiding her own identity but was not in any way to cause upset.

"It wasn't malicious. She truly believed she was in a relationship with these people, and that she wasn't committing a criminal offence.

"This is a young lady who has made a very serious mistake. But she has fully accepted responsibility."

'Shocking and repeated offences'

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Timms carried out shocking and repeated offences against her two teenage victims.

“She deviously used the anonymity of online platforms to carry out this abuse and we hope her victims are receiving all necessary support to overcome what happened to them.

“This case shows once again just how vital it is for parents and others talk to children about how to stay safe online.”

Moved by what you’ve read? Help Childline be there for every young person who desperately needs support. Donate £4 by texting ‘NSPCC 4’ to 70744 or visiting nspcc.org.uk/mirror. Text costs include your donation of £4 plus your standard network rate. The NSPCC will receive 100% of your donation.