A Chester man who tried to engage in sexual communication with an underage child and distributed an indecent image has been jailed.

Stephen O'Keefe, 65, of Lightfoot Street, pleaded guilty to a total of seven offences.

Appearing at Chester Crown Court on Friday, June 28, judge Patrick Thompson sentenced him to a total of 18 months in prison.

The court heard O'Keefe had, in April 2023, intentionally attempted to cause a 14-year-old child to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity.

That same month, he had also attempted to communicate with a 14-year-old and tell them to perform a solo sex act, while mentioning other sex acts for himself and the child.

It was discovered that O'Keefe had a total of 23 indecent photos of children, obtained between May 2018 and April 2023. Of those, four were assessed as being category A – the most serious category. A further 15 were assessed as category B and four assessed as category C.

In March 2023, O'Keefe had distributed a category B indecent photo of a 17-year-old child.

As well as the prison sentence, O'Keefe was handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, where he is prohibited from unsupervised contact with children under 16, and heavy restrictions are imposed on future internet use, such as making any internet-enabled device available for police inspection, and not to delete or disguise any internet history.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.

O'Keefe's mobile phone was to be forfeited and destroyed, and he must pay a £187 surcharge.