Man Jailed for Attempted Online Sexual Communication with Minor

An individual engaged in explicit online conversations of a sexual nature with someone he believed to be a teenage girl, proposing a meeting that would involve consuming vodka and cocaine. Ryan Goulding, residing at Town View, Kendal, initiated contact by sending a friend request to a Facebook profile. This profile was under the name of a girl, whose stated age was 14. This particular profile had been established by an individual associated with a voluntary organization dedicated to identifying persons who target children online for sexual purposes. During proceedings at Carlisle Crown Court, Goulding, aged 37, received a 45-month prison sentence. This followed his admission to charges of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite a child to participate in sexual activity. In their initial communications, he referred to the “girl” as “sexy”. Upon learning her age was 14, he responded by falsely claiming to be approximately ten years younger than his true age. Goulding proposed collecting her from a train station and escorting her to parties, inquiring about her preference for alcohol. Subsequent to the conversation moving to WhatsApp, he solicited indecent images and also put forth a sequence of sexually explicit propositions. These communications, alongside voice notes containing additional suggestive remarks, were forwarded to Cumbria Police. Prosecutor Stephen McNally informed the court that: “He did answer questions in which he suggested he had been set up by a vengeful ex-partner.” McNally further stated: “He denied knowing about the ‘girl’s’ account and denied conversing with ‘her’. He denied having any sexual interest in children.” The court was informed that Goulding possessed a record of 34 convictions for a total of 113 offences, predominantly related to dishonesty. His criminal history did not include any prior sex crimes. Andrew Gurney, acting in mitigation, highlighted Goulding’s challenging upbringing and persistent mental health problems throughout his adult life. Mr Gurney conveyed: “He is disgusted by his own behaviour. He is genuinely, truly remorseful for what he has done.” Additionally, Goulding received an order to register as a sex offender for an indefinite period.