Judge Peter Fox QC said the pornography was “the worst kind of abuse of very small children for the perverted lust of people like you”. He added: “How you could be attracted to that kind of material beggars belief”. Judge Fox admitted people would be puzzled by his decision to let Barnes go, as official guidelines suggested a short jail sentence for his offences.
But he told Barnes: “In addition to the images, there was your perverted activities over the internet with the 13-year-old, who, I accept, appears to have seduced you.” The National Victims’ Association said it was “incomprehensible” to blame Barnes’ young victim. Spokesman Neil Atkinson said: “Thirteen-year-olds have to be protected. They are children. Intellectually, ethically and legally, this girl could not be on the same level as a man in his 20s.
“The judge is right that most people will be disturbed by an adult receiving a suspended sentence for this. It is abhorrent anyone should, in effect, go un-punished for something that could have led to a far more serious offence.” As well as the suspended jail term with supervision, Barnes was given 300 hours of unpaid community work and placed on a sex offender treatment programme. In 2008, Judge Fox caused similar outrage by ruling a 40-year-old woman was seduced by a boy of 14 after she admitted having sex with him.
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