Ashley Bowker – Folkstone

A paedophile who was exposed by a hunting team tried to blame his own mum for his disgusting sexual messages to a schoolgirl.

The pervert argued his mother may have created fake evidence to frame him before eventually admitting his guilt.

Ashley Bowker, of Folkestone, prowled Meet24 while sending horrific sexual messages to children’s accounts between 2023 and 2024.

Yet “Brooke” and “Chloe” were not young teenagers, nor was “Lucy” a perverted adult luring others into sex with a child – they were decoys deployed by paedophile hunters and police.

When detectives seized the 29-year-old’s phone and quizzed him, he “even suggested his mother may have created false evidence” to set him up.

Judge Alison Russell handed Bowker a suspended prison sentence on Wednesday at Canterbury Crown Court, where details of his sustained masquerade surfaced.

Prosecutor Alister Walker said: “The first in time was Lucy, a decoy online in November 2023 created by an online child abuse activist group on a website called Meet24.

“At this time, the defendant was on that site, having created an account called Ruby, the username was stevetaylor 2024, but that account came back to the defendant’s email address.

“The screen name for Ruby had the name ‘little s***’ next to it.

“The status was, to the effect, that she was offering others to have sexual intercourse with her 10-year-old niece.”

Bowker exchanged lurid messages with the decoy about the fictional child, even claiming she was old enough for intercourse, Mr Walker explained.

Soon after the paedophile’s actions were reported to police, specialist officers posed as girls on the location-based dating app, the prosecutor said.

On January 3, officers using an account under the name of “Brooke”, clearly stating she was 14 years old, received a string of disturbing messages.

“The defendant sent a private message asking if she liked older guys,” Mr Walker said.

“From the outset the conversation is highly sexualised. He asks if Brooke is into sex, what type of sex, does she like her feet being played with, whether she liked being tied up.”

Moving the conversation onto Snapchat – a popular application where messages disappear – Bowker sent a picture of himself and soon asked a filthy question.

When Brooke’s account suddenly fell silent, Bowker continued to message for several days.

Soon after, Bowker posed as siblings “Yas and Jack” to message another police account – 13-year-old “Chloe” – asking if she enjoyed being raped and whether she accepted money for sex.

The court heard Bowker’s IP address led not only to his workplace but also to his Folkestone home.

Bowker was arrested at the property on February 9, 2024, and two phones were seized – one was discovered to contain evidence.

During the police interview, he gave a prepared statement denying his actions, claiming his account had been hacked, and then went “no comment”.

Having denied his actions before magistrates, Bowker entered guilty pleas at Canterbury Crown Court six months before trial.

Asked in a probation interview, Bowker said: “I couldn’t control my actions, and the conversations got worse and worse.”

Since his conviction, Bowker has relocated to Romney Marsh, from where he travels to Cranbrook to work as a baker.

Handing down a 12-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, Judge Russell said it was “by luck” that Bowker’s victims were decoys.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that you would have engaged in that conversation with a real girl of that age,” she added.

Furthermore, the judge told Bowker how, during police interview, he “even suggested his mother may have created false evidence to set you up.”

She ordered Bowker to complete 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days, 100 hours of unpaid work, a ten-year sexual prevention order and seven years of notification requirements.

Bowker, who admitted three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child at a previous hearing, was also ordered to pay costs of £300 by May 29.