Totton paedophile Tommaso Rasetti sent sex messages to undercover police officer posing as a teenage girl

A TOTTON man sent sex messages to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, a court heard.

Tommaso Rasetti (42), of Harwood Court, has since resigned from the nursing and caring profession, Southampton Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Richard Cherrill told the court Rasetti used the Kik platform over four days in July 2019 to speak to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl. He began sexualised chat despite knowing her age and boasted of setting up a group with the heading 'Southampton cross dressers'.

Police tracked him to his address and seized computers, on which they found 51 indecent images of children at category C – the lowest level of seriousness. Rasetti had shared two of those images with other people online, Mr Cherrill added.

He appeared in court having pleaded guilty to four charges: attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempted sexual communication with a child, and making and distributing indecent images of children.

The court heard Rasetti had no relevant previous convictions, and Ellie Fargin, defending him, said he was "very regretful" over what happened. He had disengaged chatting to the youngster when he realised it was wrong and had not reoffended since, she said.

Rasetti had also resigned from the Nursing and Midwifery Council and would not undertake work in the profession again, she said, adding he had since found another job.

He had also started a new relationship and was due to become a father, she said, adding the offending happened at a "turbulent period" in Rasetti’s life, when he was "moving around a lot".

That caused the judge, Peter Henry, to question whether that was a reason for the offending. "Why on earth would that make you behave in this way?” the judge asked.

"You are either wound for this sort of thing or you are not. Does moving around suddenly make you commit horrible offences against a child?"

In reply, Mrs Fargin argued a turbulent period could cause someone to pursue "extreme" behaviours, adding Rasetti could get help to address his offending if the sentence was suspended.

Judge Henry agreed that course of action would better protect the public, suspending Rasetti’s six-month jail term for two years. He told Rasetti to undertake an intervention programme for sex offenders, rehabilitation sessions and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Henry also gave the defendant a seven-year sexual harm prevention order, which will allow police to monitor his computers.