It began with a simple online greeting: “Hey. Asl?”
The message – asking for age, sex and location in internet shorthand – was the first message sent in September 2023 by Joao Figueira Faria to a Kik profile he believed belonged to an 11-year-old girl called ‘Lexi’ from Norwich.
Within minutes, she told him her age and where she lived. Instead of ending the conversation, the 31-year-old man carried on.
What Figueira Faria did not know was that ‘Lexi’ was not a child, but a trained undercover police officer authorised to pose as a young girl as part of an online safeguarding operation.
The Royal Court heard how, after making contact on 6 September, the conversation quickly turned sexual.
“You will find creeps around here”
Although he initially warned the girl that Kik was “not good to make friends” and that there were “creeps around”, he soon began asking sexual questions and encouraging explicit behaviour.
Over the following days, prosecutors said Figueira Faria persuaded the person he believed was an 11-year-old to carry out a sexual act and describe what she was doing. He later sent a number of sexual videos, including footage of himself.
Only minutes after one exchange, he sent a video of an adult woman engaged in a sexual act, telling the girl to “do like she is”. The next morning, he followed this with another video, later confirming it showed himself.
At the same time, Figueira Faria was also communicating with a second Kik user he believed was a 13-year-old girl called ‘Maisie’ from Southampton. This account was also operated by an undercover officer.
The court heard that he sent unsolicited naked images of himself, asked the girl about her sexual experience and repeatedly requested photographs in return – including pictures of her in her underwear.
The conversations continued into mid-September before police moved to the next stage of the investigation.
In December 2023, officers executed a search warrant at Figueira Faria’s home and arrested him, seizing a number of electronic devices and SIM cards.
A detailed forensic examination revealed more than 100 indecent videos of children stored on one of the devices, including material in the most serious category.
“Do your job. Investigate.”
When questioned by police, Figueira Faria largely declined to answer, at one point suggesting he had been hacked and claiming a phone containing indecent material did not belong to him. Further analysis linked the devices and online accounts directly to him.
When asked if he could explain the indecent images on his phone, Figueira Faria denied it was his and told the officers: “Do your job. Investigate.”
Messages also showed that Figueira Faria’s partner had found an indecent image on his phone previously, and confronted him about it.
Figueira Faria later pleaded guilty to eight charges: one count of attempting to incite a child to perform a sexual act, two counts of attempted sexual grooming of a child, two counts of causing a child to look at indecent images for his own sexual gratification and three counts relating to indecent videos of children – 52 in the most serious category A, 33 classed as category B and 22 in category C.
Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, said that Figueira Faria was genuinely remorseful for what he had done and wished to become a good father to his young child, born after he had committed the offences.
Account should be taken, Advocate Boothman argued, of the fact that the first five offences related to exchanges with undercover police officers, meaning no children had suffered harm.
The court heard that Figueira Faria had endured a difficult childhood, including suffering physical abuse from his father and brother, and had lived in Jersey for eight years.
“Long-standing sexual interest in children”
Bailiff Robert MacRae, presiding, said it was a matter of chance that the messages had been received by police officers, rather than by real children who would have suffered serious harm.
As a result of his offending described by Mr MacRae as “chronic” and his “long-standing sexual interest in children”, Figueira Faria was made the subject of notification requirements and restrictions for sex offenders for ten years.
The panel ruled that the indecent imagery charges should be subject to a separate, consecutive sentence of imprisonment, with a term of two years imposed for these three offences.
Figueira Faria was also jailed for two years for the five grooming offences, making a total prison term of four years.
Having retired for around 75 minutes to consider their decision, Mr MacRae said the panel had been “exercised considerably” over whether to recommend Figueira Faria for deportation back to his native Madeira at the end of his sentence – a decision that ultimately rests with the Home Affairs Minister.
The Bailiff said that the panel had sought to strike a balance between the seriousness of the offences and the human rights of the defendant, his former partner and their young child.
The court was told that the panel had decided by a majority of three to two not to make a recommendation for deportation.
Jurats Ronge, Averty, Le Heuzé, Entwistle and Berry were sitting.
“The exploitation of children is abhorrent”
Detective Inspector Christina Maclennan, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department, said the sentencing “demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protect the public”.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to identify offenders, make arrests, and bring those responsible before the courts,” she added.
“The exploitation of children is abhorrent, and we remain determined to ensure that those who commit such crimes are held fully accountable.
“Through meticulous digital forensic work from States of Jersey Police’s Digital Forensic Unit and collaboration with police officers in the UK, we were able to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.”