Man with Larne address charged with attempting to have 'sexual communication with a child'
A 36-year-old man with an address in Larne who is accused of attempting to have a 'sexual communication with a child' has had his case sent to Crown Court.
Michael Seth David O'Brien, whose address was listed as Magee Park in Larne, was in the dock at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
The specifics of the charge are that on days between March 7-14, 2023, 'for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification intentionally attempted to communicate with a trained and authorised Law Enforcement Operative, as a person under 16 years, the communication being sexual or intended to encourage the said trained and authorised Law Enforcement Operative to make a communication that was sexual, and you did not reasonably believe a trained and authorised Law Enforcement Operative was 16 years or over'.
He is also charged with attempting to cause the 'trained and authorised Law Enforcement Operative, as a child under 13 years, to engage in sexual activity'.
O’Brien is further charged with breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) by possessing a mobile phone 'with software which did not retain and display your history of internet use and had cleaning software installed'.
There is a fourth charge - an attempted breach of a SOPO which alleges that 'without reasonable excuse' the defendant 'attempted to access, associate, contact and communicate with a child under 16 yrs old'.
The defendant was given bail in the sum of £500 and the case was sent to Antrim Crown Court for arraignment on February 26.