Former Youth Football Official Sentenced for Sexually Explicit Messages to Undercover Officer

Karl Jefferson, a former official with a youth football league, has received a sentence after confessing to transmitting sexually explicit messages to an individual he thought was a 12-year-old girl. In reality, Jefferson was communicating with an undercover police officer. Derbyshire Police stated that Jefferson, a 53-year-old qualified referee, held the position of chairman for the Derby Junior Football League during the period of the offenses, which occurred from November 2023 to January 2024. On Monday, at Derby Crown Court, he was handed a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for two years, and mandated to register on the sex offenders register. The police force reported that Jefferson, residing at Marks Close, Derby, initially contacted the individual he believed to be a “girl” via the ChatIW platform, subsequently transitioning their communication to the Kik instant messaging application. He dispatched multiple sexually explicit messages over several weeks, even though the recipient consistently stated her age as 12. Law enforcement officers successfully traced Jefferson’s account, leading to his arrest and subsequent charges for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite a girl under 13 to participate in sexual activity. Jefferson admitted guilt to both charges on September 11. During his sentencing, he also received orders to perform unpaid work, participate in a sex offender treatment program, and was issued a sexual harm prevention order valid for 10 years. The force indicated that officers collaborated with the Football Association (FA) after Jefferson’s arrest to guarantee that proper safeguarding measures were implemented. Police further noted that Jefferson is no longer affiliated with the football league, and no in-person offenses by him have been reported. Detective staff investigator Georgia Harries, who headed the investigation for Derbyshire Police, stated: “Jefferson was well aware of how old the girl he thought he was speaking to was but continued to send her sexually explicit messages as well as trying to encourage her to perform sexual acts.” She added, “He had numerous opportunities to end the conversations when the girl repeated her age to him but he continued his depraved acts regardless.” Harries concluded, “Thankfully in this case, the recipient of the messages wasn’t a real child – and we have been able to save other children from becoming a victim.” The Derbyshire FA has been contacted for a statement. BBC Derby maintains a presence on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Submissions for story ideas can be sent to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 0808 100 2210. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC does not assume responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.