Police praise teen victim of "predatory" groomer

Wednesday 16 December 2020

Police have praised the “bravery and courage” of the 15-year-old victim of “prolific and predatory offender” sentenced in the Royal Court yesterday.

Leslie Thomas Bulpin (37), who has schizophrenia, made several calls to the teenager, inviting her to his home for sex last year, just days after he had downloaded indecent images to his iPhone.

He was sentenced to a total of three years’ imprisonment for the offences in the Royal Court yesterday, but it was decided that he should be sent to a mental health unit in the UK in the immediate future. 

The Royal Court – led by Deputy Bailiff Robert Macrae, who was sitting with Jurats Collette Crill and David Hughes – heard that Bulpin and the victim had met previously via a mutual friend.

Last May, he began sending messages to another child’s mobile phone, believing it to be the victim. Bulpin invited the teen to ring him, and join him for a “drink and a smoke.”

Pictured: He indicated that he wanted to have sex with the 15-year-old girl in messages and a phone call.

The other child spoke to him on the phone in a telephone conversation the victim videoed on an iPad. Believing himself to be speaking to the victim, Bulpin indicated he wanted to have sex with the girl, and described her as “plenty old enough.” 

The following day, he was arrested for an unrelated offence and given bail restrictions, which he breached by moving to Wales.

Around that time, the victim contacted Police to tell them of the explicit comments he had made. She was interviewed and gave them the iPad she had recorded the phonecall on, so that it could be examined by the High Tech Crime Unit. 

In September, Bulpin called Police to demand that his iPhone be returned to him. He was cautioned and told that suspected indecent images were found on his phone. He replied that they were just “videos of me having sex with my partner.”

Later, Bulpin called Police again to tell them he felt it was against the law to be looking at any content on his phone other than anything related to the unconnected offence. 

Police found that a total of 13 images had been viewed, with specific search terms including “little girls” and other explicit searches involving “teens.”

He was arrested in October once he had arrived back in Jersey, and taken to Police HQ. 

At interview, he continued to maintain that the only images on his phone were of ex-partners – or “lady friends”, as he referred to them – which were all “above board and totally legal.”

Pictured: Bulpin said all the content on his phone was "above board and totally legal" during an interview at Police HQ.

He went on to state that he had recently been receiving mental health in the UK and that his departure from the island was due to him having “hit the drink.” 

According to Bulpin, no one had access to his phone, though he later said that someone must have done and that he “hadn’t a clue” how the indecent images of children ended up there.

Played the video recording of the telephone call, Bulpin denied it was him. However, he eventually pleaded guilty to grooming the 15-year-old in July this year.

That same month, he faced a two-day trial over the indecent images charge, during which he maintained that he expected the actors were older than 16 due to the pornography website he had used being “mainstream.” He was, however, found guilty.

The Court adjourned sentencing in September over concerns that Bulpin may be best placed in a therapeutic rehabilitation unit rather than prison.

The court sentenced Bulpin to three years’ imprisonment for the grooming charge, and two years and six months for the indecent images offence to run concurrently, making a total of three years’ imprisonment.

However, having considered submissions from Bulpin’s legal representative, Advocate Adam Harrison, and expert evidence given by two psychiatrists, it was decided that Bulpin should be transferred from HMP La Moye to a mental health unit in the UK. 

The Court also ordered that Bulpin be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for a minimum of seven years and ordered that his iPhone be destroyed.

Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Paul Ryan said: “Bulpin is a prolific and predatory offender who we know is a danger to our children and young people.

“I would like to recognise the bravery and courage of the victim who initially approached us about the grooming offences; it is her assistance that has enabled us to pursue Bulpin and secure the charges.

“Our message is clear: we will not tolerate any form of abuse against children, and we will continue to work tirelessly to target those who offend in this way.”