A Calne man has pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and intimidating a witness.
Jason Payne, 37, pleaded guilty to both offences when he appeared before Swindon Crown Court yesterday, 8th July.
Payne was charged following an investigation by Wiltshire Police and first appeared before Swindon Magistrates' Court in June. At that hearing, he was remanded in custody ahead of his plea and trial preparation hearing.
He is due to be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on 3rd September 2026.
Wiltshire Police said Payne sent sexually explicit messages over Snapchat to a child known to him on 15th April this year, attempting to persuade her to share intimate photographs of herself.
After being reported to police, Payne was arrested and later released on bail while enquiries continued. However, officers said he repeatedly breached his bail conditions by contacting the victim and her family, despite being told not to.
Police said he repeatedly threatened to harm himself unless they withdrew their support for the investigation. They said this included the day the victim was due to provide evidence to officers, when he threatened to take his own life.
Local Crime Investigator Christopher Wright, from Wiltshire Police's Volume Crime Team, said: "Payne is a predator who repeatedly preyed on the victim, first by sending sexually explicit communications to her, and then by breaking his bail conditions on numerous occasions to attempt to pressure her and her family into retracting their evidence.
"I would like to commend them for their courage in continuing to support the investigation, which has now seen Payne plead guilty to these offences.
"We take these offences incredibly seriously and we will ensure that offenders like Payne are held to account for their actions."
*Reporting restrictions remain in place protecting the complainant's anonymity under Section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.
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