Craig Robert Leslie Ratsch jailed after grooming 11-year-old girl over Snapchat

A mother uncovered the identity of the creep sending her 11-year-old “disturbing” photographs and messages by linking him to his SA football club.

A vigilant mother posed as her young daughter to catch a vile predator sending her explicit photographs and messages.

Despite the “persistent” messages, Craig Robert Leslie Ratsch, 30, could be out of jail in only five months after denying he was sexually attracted to children.

A psychologist found Ratsch did not meet the diagnostic criteria for a pedophilic disorder.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Ratsch began communicating with an 11-year-old girl over Snapchat.

The court heard the victim’s mother confiscated her iPad in March 2023 and became aware of Ratsch’s communications.

The victim’s mother assumed her daughter’s identity to uncover information about him.

Craig Ratsch was jailed for grooming a child online. Photo: Facebook

The court heard Ratsch sent nude photos and videos to the victim and sought sexualised photos from her, despite her mother telling him she was in her last year of primary school.

The mother made contact with Victoria police on multiple occasions to report his conduct but was told there was nothing that could be done.

Taking matters into her own hands, the victim’s mother asked Ratsch to send a photo of his face, which he did.

She was then able to successfully uncover his identity and location and made contact with the football club he played for.

Ratsch then handed himself into police.

The Evanston father pleaded guilty to communicating with the intention of procuring a child to engage in sexual activity.

“In the course of speaking with police following your arrest, you said that you would add random people on Snapchat to ‘blow off steam’,” Judge Kris Handshin said.

“You agreed that you had been ‘horny’, when speaking with (the victim) and asking her what she was wearing.”

The court heard the victim had gone from a bubbly, outgoing and happy child to being self-conscious, reclusive and closed off.

The victim’s mother also described the sickening feeling of discovering the communications and the undeserved guilt of whether there was more she could have done to keep her daughter safe.

“Both your direct communications with (the victim) and the communications you had with (her mother) when she was masquerading as her daughter, were, quite simply, deplorable,” Judge Handshin said.

“These were not only solicited and unwanted communications, they were also disturbing.”

The court heard Ratsch, a factory worker, denied being sexually attracted to children but was rather seeking attention and sexual gratification from others after his relationship with his partner became strained.

“You said you were reckless in not exercising appropriate caution about who you were sending illicit messages to,” Judge Handshin said.

Ratsch was jailed for 12 months, with a non-parole period of five months.

Originally published as Craig Robert Leslie Ratsch jailed after grooming 11-year-old girl over Snapchat