Latest Offenders

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AN ABUSER who sexually assaulted two young children has been jailed after they went to the police more than 30 years after their ordeals, court reporter Ted Davenport writes.

Darren Medland touched the boy and girl when they were aged six to 12 in the 1980s and 1990s and he was only a few years older.

He carried out one sexual attack when he was on holiday at Butlins in Minehead.

His crimes remained undetected for decades until one victim contacted the police and the other came forward.

He denied all the allegations until the day he was due to stand trial at Exeter Crown Court earlier this year.

He was jailed after a judge told him that he had caused psychological damage which would blight the lives of the two victims.

Medland, aged 54, of Coopers Drive, Barnstaple, admitted 16 offences of indecent assault or indecency with a child and was jailed for eight years by Judge James Adkin at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: Your offending has affected the victims entire adult life. One suffers from night terrors and flashbacks.

You have acquired another sexual conviction since these offences, so you cannot be considered of good character.

Miss Emily Pitts, prosecuting, said carried out most of the abuse while he was aged between 14 and 22 and living in Barnstaple in the 1980s. He carried out one assault while on holiday at Butlins in Minehead.

The assaults consisted of touching over and under clothes and the most serious offence would now be categorised as an assault by penetration of a child under 13.

Mr Nick Lewin, defending, said Medland had himself been the victim of childhood sexual abuse and had grown up in a dysfunctional household. He has managed to live a law-abiding life for most of his adulthood.

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A 55-year-old man who paid thousands of dollars to watch children being exploited on the internet has been jailed for 16 years.

Sidney Morris, of Brompton Road in Weston-super-Mare, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court yesterday (Monday 29 April) after pleading guilty to 15 counts, including:

• One count of attempting to cause / incite a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• One count of attempting to cause / incite a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity
• Seven counts of attempting to arrange / facilitate commission of child sex offence
• Three counts of making indecent photos of a child
• Three attempts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The investigation was led by Avon and Somerset Police’s Internet Child Abuse Team (ICAT) in partnership with North East and the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCU).

In June 2022, officers from West Midlands ROCU discovered Morris had been messaging someone he believed to be a young child from the UK, engaging in inappropriate conversations of a sexual nature.

Morris was arrested from his home address in Weston-super-Mare in July of the same year and his devices were seized.

A detailed examination of the devices found Morris had 574 indecent images of children, comprising of 84 category A images (the most serious), 170 category B and 320 category C.

They all appeared to show children from an Asian country as young as four being sexually exploited.

During the investigation, officers discovered that Morris had paid more than $14,000 to people abroad to exploit the children in the photos. It is believed he was also using other payment channels so the true value he spent is likely far greater.

As the investigation continued, North East ROCU discovered Morris was actively trying to facilitate the abuse and exploitation of children online. He was arrested on 1 November 2023 and was subsequently charged with the 15 offences.

Investigating officer, DC Benn Murphy, said: “Morris poses a very real and significant risk to children.

“He has tried to hide his actions behind the anonymity of the internet and by targeting vulnerable people both in the UK and abroad.

“This should serve as a warning to those who look to exploit or abuse children; there are no safe places to hide.

“The true scale of harm he has caused, is unlikely to ever truly be known but we continue to make every effort to identify and safeguard individuals affected by this investigation.” 

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed for nine years for a catalogue of abuse he committed more than three decades ago.

Charles Donnelly repeatedly raped a younger woman and subjected a boy and girl to sex crimes in Fife throughout a 16-year period.

Judge Lady Carmichael told the 70-year-old at the High Court in Edinburgh that he had caused "lasting harm" to his victims.

Donnelly was previously jailed for seven years in 2015 for sex offences and after his release from that jail term was recalled to prison for breaching his licence by being in the company of a child.

He was due to stand trial at the High Court earlier this year facing a series of further charges when he pled guilty to four offences, in what police called a "complex and disturbing case."

The first involved the repeated rape of a younger woman between January 1977 and September 1981 at addresses in a Fife village.

The victim said Donnelly was "helping himself to sex" despite her telling him "no".

She made it clear to him that she did not want sex but Donnelly ignored her and repeatedly assaulted and raped her, the court heard.

His second victim was a young boy who Donnelly spanked before committing a serious indecent assault at a house in Dunfermline on an occasion between September 1976 and September 1979.

His third victim was a girl who was subjected to prolonged abuse from the age of five by Donnelly at addresses in a nearby village beginning in 1983.

The sex offender told his young victim not to tell anyone as she would get into trouble if she did.

Donnelly molested the child and carried out sex acts on himself in her presence. He admitted two offences of indecent behaviour towards the girl, committed between 1983 and 1992.

'Immense courage'

Det Con Karen Nairn, of the non recent child abuse investigations team, said the victims had shown "immense courage" in reporting the crimes.

She added: "It is right that Donnelly now has to face the consequences of his disgraceful actions.

"My thoughts remain with the victims and their families. This conviction is a direct result of them coming forward."

Defence counsel Michael Anderson KC said Donnelly, who was held in prison awaiting his trial, had been through "significant difficulties of his own throughout his life".

He said Donnelly's previous experience of custody following his sentencing in 2015 had proved difficult for him.

He added that Donnelly had not offended since 1994.

Lady Carmichael ordered that he should be monitored in the community for a further five-year period following his jail term.

During that time, he will be under licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches its conditions.

Donnelly was told by a video link to prison that he will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely following his sentencing today.

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Two men who secretly photographed members of the public in swimming pools in London and the south west of England have been sentenced following an extensive British Transport Police (BTP) investigation into significant public voyeurism.

Adam Dennis, 38, of Ernest Fitches Way, Littlehampton, and Robert Morgan, 32, and of Bradmore Park, London were sentenced to a combined 42 months at Inner London Crown Court on 24 April.

Dennis had previously pled guilty to conspiracy to one count of voyeurism, one count of conspiracy to make indecent photographs of a child, one count of conspiracy to distribute indecent photographs of a child and one count of possessing indecent photographs of a child. He was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, to serve half and spend the remainder on licence.

Morgan had previously pled guilty to one count of voyeurism, one count of conspiracy to make indecent photographs of a child, one count of conspiracy to distribute an indecent photograph of a child, three counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child, one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child, and one count of possession of a controlled drug. He received a 20 month sentence, suspended for 2 years, as well as 120 hours unpaid work and attendance to a rehab programme.

Both men are also subject to a 9 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order with the following prohibitions: 

To not share any images showing the genitals of any woman or female child via the internet or file sharing application, including (but not limited to) email and / or social media apps
To not enter any female only or mixed sex changing room area of any swimming pool or leisure centre.
To not contact each other, including via the internet or telephone. 
To not communicate in any way with any other person that he knows or has reasonable suspicion that that person has received a conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in respect of sexual offences against children under 18 years of age.
The two men came to detectives’ attention as a result of a separate investigation into an assault, which happened on board a train in March 2017, where a mobile device was seized. They were both subsequently arrested for voyeurism offences in November 2017.

Forensic examination of items seized from their addresses showed covert filming of victims using the bathroom and images of victims in changing room cubicles. Online chats showed them sharing and trading images of victims filmed covertly in swimming pool changing rooms and creating profile documents for them.

Officers have been able to trace a number of victims, some who were children at the time of the footage being captured, to inform them of the investigation. None of those who were spoken to were aware of being filmed or had given anyone permission to film them whilst they were getting changed. The investigation flagged at least 6000 potential victims and detectives have identified a number of these, however a large number of the photos are unidentifiable.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Claire Jackson-Harwood, said: “This has been a long running investigation with officers working tirelessly to ensure the victims get the justice they deserve. Dennis and Morgan’s insidious actions will have a life-long impact on the victims who were preyed upon while they innocently enjoyed a hobby.

“They have given no thought to the victims and simply acted for their own gratification. Not satisfied with just recording the images, they have worked together to go on and create profile documents and researched their victims on social media. These actions make this offending even more shocking. I hope this outcome gives the victims the closure they deserve.”

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A rapist from Fife who was said to regard sex with women as “his right” has been caged for nine years.

Scott Tullis will remain under close supervision for four years following his release from prison because of the risk he poses to women.

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A Keighley man has been locked up for more than three years for sex offences involving an underage girl.

Daniel Want was found guilty at Bradford Crown Court of two charges of sexual activity with a girl under 16, possession of a folding pocket knife, and sexual communication with a child.

Want, 33, of Parkwood Court, Parkwood Rise, Keighley, was jailed for three years and four months.

He was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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A Keighley man who sent an indecent image of a child to her relative and filmed himself engaging in sexual contact with another has been jailed.

Aidan Whittingham, 21, distributed the nude photograph to a relative of one of the girls and secretly recorded some of the sexual activity he had with another under-age girl. He also had sex with a third teenage girl, but Bradford Crown Court heard on Monday she had been branded a "liar" by others - despite Whittingham being convicted.

Whittingham, of Whinfield Avenue, pleaded guilty to making indecent images of a child and distributing an indecent image of a child. He was found guilty of voyeurism and sexual activity with a child following a trial in October last year.

In addition to the five-year jail sentence Recorder Jackson KC also told Whittingham that he would now be subject to a sex offender registration with the police for life and he must also comply with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Barrister Abigail Langford, for Whittingham, highlighted his learning disability and other issues and said her client had already spent over a year in custody on remand. She said expert reports from a psychiatrist and a psychologist had referred to her client’s lack of maturity and his vulnerability.

But Recorder Jackson said Whittingham’s pattern of offending had escalated and he was satisfied that he had targeted young females. He said Whittingham knew what he was doing, and intended to do, and it was not a consequence of his learning difficulties.

The judge explained that Whittingham would have received an even longer sentence for his offending but for his young age and the difficulties that he had. Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Paul Maxwell from the Child Vulnerable to Exploitation Team in Bradford said: “We welcome the sentence handed down to Whittingham today. He is a danger to children.

“I would like to praise the bravery of the victims in coming forward and reporting these crimes to us. Offences of this nature are always taken very seriously, and we have a dedicated specialist safeguarding team who will support victims to get them justice.”

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An ex-BBC employee has been jailed after he being caught with over 58,000 indecent images of children.

David Mundy, 85, was arrested by National Crime Agency officers on April, 13 2022 after attempting to download illegal content.

The NCA investigation discovered Mundy to have not only searched for indecent images of children, but stored thousands of them on floppy discs, CDs, USBs and hard drives. His offending covered two decades.

Officers seized a total of 47 digital storage device during a search of Mundy’s home address and 31 were found to contain indecent images of children, and many had been labelled to indicate their contents, reports the Mirror.

This included Micro SDs marked “Misc = boy undone”; “Franze, Czech etc. lots” and “several vid+pix”, as well as a bag of discs, 124 of which contained illegal material. Mundy had accessed illegal content online that involved children as young as six years old, though the majority of the images involved boys between eight and fifteen.

He used a peer to peer sharing system to obtain this material, though he stated that he didn’t communicate with other members of the groups he used. At his address, NCA officers also found non-digital evidence of Mundy’s offending – including a 15-page double sided booklet called “sensitive content movies” sorted by keywords, and several how-to guides on accessing the dark web and ensuring anonymity online. He claimed he had yet to use them.

Mundy was charged the following year with three offences relating to indecent images of children. When interviewed, Mundy admitted to first looking at sexual images of children shortly before retiring from the BBC in 1998.

Stating that he was unsure what the definition of abuse was, he argued that his interest was only “in pleasure”. Almost 2,500 images found on his devices were category A, the most extreme. Mundy pleaded guilty to all three offences. Today, 29 April 2024, he was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court to 10 months imprisonment. Adam Priestley, NCA Senior Manager, said: “Despite clear evidence showing the scale of his offending, and the horrific nature of the content he repeatedly accessed, Mundy told officers that the images he had saved simply showed kids enjoying themselves.

“This could not be further from the truth. Behind each image is a vulnerable child who has been violated and abused for the benefit of offenders like Mundy. “We at the NCA are committed to protecting children and ensuring that individuals who collect this material, creating a demand for abuse content, are held to account.”

Mundy has been added to the sexual offender's register for 10 years.

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A man who raped and sexually abused a child has been jailed for 18 years.

Martyn Garland carried out a catalogue of horrific abuse against the girl who hadnt even reached her teens.

His crimes came to light when she reported the matter to police years later.

In a victim impact statement, she said: I have spent many years crying for the little girl that got trapped inside of me after he destroyed my innocence and my childhood.

The trauma has hung over me like a shadow that has crept into every part of my existence leaving me feeling like a lost cause, like Ive been damaged beyond repair.

I havent been able to put my trust into anybody for almost 20 years and I dont believe that there is anybody that I will ever fully trust.

There have been times where I have felt suicidal because the pain has been too much where I have turned to alcohol to stop me from feeling for a moment. But I know that deep down I dont want to die. I have too much to live for.

I just so desperately want, need, the pain to stop.

I am trying so hard to be stronger. This has honestly impacted everything that I do. Each day I wake up and I have to force myself to get out of bed when all I want to do is just lay there.

I live it every day. Its because I dont feel like any of these words are enough. They dont truly convey exactly how much hes destroyed and how much of my life hes truly taken away. I know I would be an entirely different person and had an entirely different life had this not happened and that is a difficult thing to comprehend.

Garland, 50, of Mercaston Close, Holme Hall, Chesterfield, was arrested and subsequently charged with a number of offences including rape, sexual assault, cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and assault by penetration.

He denied the offences, forcing the woman to go through a trial but a jury saw through his lies and he was convicted after a trial at Derby Crown Court.

He appeared at the same court for sentencing on Friday 19 April where he was jailed for 18 years with an extended licence period of a year. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

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A PAEDOPHILE who began raping children on his 12th birthday paid tribute to murdered six-year-old Alesha MacPhail, it has emerged.

Kristofer Johnstone, now 33, preyed on two girls in a 15-year campaign of abuse.

And in a horrifying twist, a picture of him holding a heart-shaped balloon in memory of tragic Alesha was shared online before he was unmasked as a beast.

Alesha, of Airdrie, was raped and murdered by fiend Aaron Campbell, then 16, who abducted her as she visited her grandparents and dad on Bute in 2018.

Johnstone, of Kelloholm, Dumfriesshire, was convicted after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow of abusing the children — aged between five and 11.

He struck between his 12th birthday on February 28, 2003 and 2018, in Glasgow’s Knightswood, nearby Maryhill, Paisley and on the Isle of Bute.

Caging the married dad of two for ten years this month, judge Alasdair MacFadyen said: “The evidence of sexual abuse was overwhelming, alarming and distressing.

“As a teenager and an adult, you committed serious offences against young children. Your actions appeared motivated by your deviant sexual desires.”

He was also put on the sex offenders register indefinitely and banned from contacting both his victims.

Monster Campbell, now 21, of Bute, was jailed for at least 27 years, cut to 24 on appeal, in 2019.

We told how he struck up a warped pen pal relationship with a caged sex offender.

He rarely leaves his cell for fear of attacks by fellow cons sickened by his crimes.

He was brutally beaten in 2022 in his cell at Polmont Young Offenders.

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A sex offender has been jailed after breaching the terms of a court order. Adam Kerley, 26, was made the subject of a sexual risk order in November 2022, shortly after he was arrested as part of another police investigation.

In addition to forbidding contact with children under the age of 16, the order also compelled Kerley to make any phones, computers or tablets available for police inspection. It also compelled him to register details of any social media accounts with officers at Nottinghamshire Police’s public protection department.

Further investigation by officers in January 2023 revealed that Kerley was in possession of an undeclared mobile phone and also had access to undeclared social media accounts. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual risk order.

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Kerley also admitted to two counts of making indecent images of children after a small number of child sexual abuse images were found on his phone after his initial arrests. Two were graded as category A – showing the most serious abuse that can be perpetrated by adults against children.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, April 23, Kerley, of Radford Road, Nottingham, was jailed for a total of 16 months. He was also made the subject of an additional sexual harm reduction order which will be used to restrict and monitor his behaviour when he is released.

Detective Constable Hannah Newbold, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Court orders of this nature are put in place to protect children from harm, which is why people who breach them in this way can expect to go to prison – as can anyone we find in possession of child sexual abuse images. People who view these images may believe they are not hurting anyone, but the reality is that real children are being subjected to appalling levels of physical and psychological harm to produce these images.

“That’s why we take this kind of offending so seriously and work hard to bring people like Kerley to justice."

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A twisted predator has been jailed after grooming a teenage girl from Birmingham. Vile Aaron Harvey was caged for 18 years for rape and sexual assaults on the victim.

The 35-year-old, from Rugeley, Staffs, groomed the girl over a period of two years. Harvey’s sick crimes came to light when the girl bravely spoke out, telling officers the abuse first started when she was 14.

Harvey was arrested on August 14, 2022 and taken into custody. Officers seized his iPhone where they discovered extreme pornographic videos and website searches for extreme sex.

Harvey pleaded guilty to one charge of rape, eight sexual assaults and one charge of possessing extreme pornography when he appeared at court earlier this month. He was then handed a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order as he was sent to prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, April 26.

DC Kayleigh Driscoll, from the complex child abuse investigation team, said: “Harvey was a predatory individual who groomed his victim, sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions and raped her.

"We are pleased with the sentence which send out a clear message that people who target vulnerable young people for their own sexual gratification will be taken to court, convicted and will face many years behind bars.

“I must praise her courage for speaking out and reporting Harvey’s offending. We hope her bravery encourages others subjected to sexual abuse and rape to come forward. We are here to help and listen.” The force noted "survivors of rape are protected by law and have life-long anonymity."

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Convicted paedophile who instructed a 14-year-old girl to carry out sex acts on video calls with him whilst he masturbated.

Ethan Rich, 24, of Cwmann, was jailed for nine years and nine months for a series of sexual offences, with an additional three years extended licence period.

Rich was already subject to a sexual harm prevention order and was on the sex offenders register for life after he was convicted in August 2020 of “strikingly similar” offences to those he was back before the court on.

Dyfed-Powys Police attended Rich’s address on August 30, with his mum answering the door. Rich – who was living in a caravan at the rear of the property – didn’t reply when asked by officers whether he had access to mobile phones.

He admitted he had a phone when his mum encouraged him to “tell the truth”, prosecutor Hannah George said.

The officers were also told he had been staying at an address in Cellan for seven or more days between May 28 and July 8 without notifying the police.

Rich was bailed and that phone was registered with the police.

In October, officers received a report that he was contacting a 14-year-old girl, Ms George said.

He was arrested at his home address, and after Rich’s previously registered phone was seized, a second phone could be heard vibrating.

Each of the phones were analysed, and it was found Rich had a WhatsApp account under the name ‘Bob Ross’ and a Snapchat account under another false name. He had also made searches for ‘how to change your display name on Snapchat’ and ‘how to sign in to Snapchat on two accounts on an iPhone’.

“The defendant was aware she was under the age of 16,” Ms George said, adding that the girl had sent Rich pictures of her in her school uniform and of her classroom.

The court heard he had also searched for ‘age of consent’, ‘young teen’, and ‘what is a paedophile’.

On his devices, Rich had seven Category A indecent images of the girl. Amongst these were recordings of five video calls between them from between October 1 and 3. In the videos, Rich was instructing the girl to carry out various sexual acts on herself while he could also be seen masturbating on the calls.

He was also charged with a further breach of his sexual harm prevention order relating to this communication with an underage girl.

Rich was arrested and initially claimed in interview that he believed the girl was 19.

He later pleaded guilty to four offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, one of breaching the sex offender notification requirements, one of possession of indecent images of a child, and five offences each of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in presence of child.

Georgia Donohue, in mitigation, admitted that it was “inevitable” that Rich would receive a very lengthy prison sentence”.

Ms Donohue said the defendant was “perhaps someone who presents as significantly younger than his chronological age” and that he had recently been diagnosed with ADHD and was receiving support for autism.

She added that Rich “struggled with his mental health”, which was “perhaps exacerbated” by his drug use.

Ms Donohue said Rich realised “he has to deal with the repercussions of his actions”, and had spent his time in custody well – getting a job as a cleaner and starting to learn French.

Sentencing Rich, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “In the past, you have made the subject of orders which led to you undergoing courses. It is clear that despite a great deal of effort being put in by the criminal justice system to get you to change your ways, you have learnt nothing – or at least nothing positive.

“Your immaturity is a source of danger to young girls as you do not learn your lesson.”

Rich will remain subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must remain on the sex offenders register for life.

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A woman who sexually abused a young boy and shared images of the incidents has been jailed following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.

Emily Hedigan, aged 21, of Broadlea Grove, Bramley, pleaded guilty to eight offences when she appeared at Leeds Crown Court on February 29.

She was convicted of offences of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual touching of a boy aged under 13, taking, making and distributing indecent images of a child, and possession of cocaine.

Police were alerted on January 29 this year after a person obtained Hedigan’s mobile phone and found images of the boy on it.

She was arrested and her phone was examined by expert digital forensic investigators who recovered video and still images of her sexually abusing the child on a number of occasions.

Further work by digital media investigators established that Hedigan had been sending the images to a man elsewhere in the country in exchange for money.

She admitted the offences when interviewed but claimed she had been providing the images under duress.

She was sentenced to a total of four years and eight months imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

She will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A couple who believed they were meeting a naive 14-year-old girl for sex at a railway station were caught out when they were instead confronted by paedophile hunters.

Neil Tranmer and his then girlfriend Kerry Burdall, who had hoped to engage in unprotected sex sessions with the young girl and even wanted her to fall pregnant, were met instead by seven members of an online paedophile hunters group, Hull Crown Court heard.

The 'teenage girl' they had connected with on Facebook did not exist, but the couple were unaware of this and fully intended to "follow it through" after making a "deliberate decision" to meet and take advantage of her sexually, reports Hull Live.

Tranmer, 35, formerly of Clarence Road, Bridlington, but recently living in Hornsea, and Burdall, 39, of Limedane, Orchard Park estate, Hull, both admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child in Bridlington between April 13 and 19, 2021.

Harry Bradford, prosecuting, said that an online protection group set up profiles of fake girls aged between 10 and 14 in a bid to catch online sexual offenders.

A fake 14 year old girl received a friend request on Facebook from Burdall and was asked, "Hi. How old are you? " The decoy character responded: "I'm 14. How old are you? " To which Burdall replied, revealing herself to be "36" accompanying her message with a photograph and sentence stating: "That's my boyfriend."

She followed with another message, questioning: "Do you want to share him? He be your boyfriend too."

When probed by the decoy about how they could share him, Burdall responded boldly: "Have sex with him."

The decoy accountholder then posted: "I am a virgin. Can I have sex at 14? " Burdall gave her approval assuring: "Yes. Would you want him to use a condom? " She told the girl they resided in Bridlington, suggesting she could tell her mother that she was visiting a friend.

The decoy girl asked if she could get pregnant and Burdall replied: "Yes." The girl asked: "Are you ok with your boyfriend having sex with me?" Burdall replied "Yes" and, when the girl asked what his name was, she replied: "Neil. You can add him on Facebook if you want to."

Further interaction ensued between the decoy and Tranmer following a friend request sent to her. Upon asking Tranmer: "Are you Kerry's boyfriend? " He confirmed: "Yes. Do you want me as your boyfriend? ".

After the decoy's prompt: "Did Kerry tell you I am 14? I have never had a boyfriend before." Messages were exchanged at the same time between Tranmer and Burdall.

The girl asked Tranmer: "Do you want me to get pregnant?" He replied: "Yes." Tranmer asked her if she wanted to see explicit pictures of him and he sent two photographs. He asked her if he could see intimate pictures of her and he asked her what colour her underwear was.

He asked explicit sexual questions. Arrangements were made for the girl to meet Tranmer and Burdall at Bridlington railway station at 1.10pm.

Tranmer and Burdall continued to send messages about sexual activity. Seven members of the paedophile hunters group went to Bridlington railway station and saw Tranmer and Burdall.

They were confronted during a live streaming encounter and the police were alerted. Burdall said: "I should not have done it. I feel guilty for what I have done."

Tranmer claimed during police interview that Burdall had made him go to the railway station to meet a 14-year-old. He claimed that he did not mean to send the decoy girl messages about sex and that they were meant for Burdall and not the girl.

Burdall denied sending any of the messages apart from giving her age and claimed that her account had been hacked and that she did not send any pictures. They both had no previous convictions.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, mitigating, said that Tranmer pleaded guilty. He had suffered a difficult upbringing and had problems.

Dale Brook, representing Burdall, said that she had, at the time, moved in with Tranmer and thought that the relationship was a "mutually loving" one but the nature of the offences had made her look again at it.

She thought that Tranmer wanted another girlfriend. "It may seem a naive and tall story," said Mr Brook. "Since this offending, she has settled down. She is in a relationship with a new fiancé. They have accommodation together. There has been no further offending.

"These offences were not actually carried out because it was a decoy. There is no actual victim."

Judge Richard Woolfall said: "They did actually go to the railway station to meet this child. Their intention was to follow it through. The pair of you thought at the time that it was a real child."

They arranged to have unprotected sex with the girl and this could have led to pregnancy. "She was a decoy but the pair of you believed that it was a real 14-year-old girl," said Judge Woolfall. "She said that she was a virgin but that didn't put you off."

Judge Woolfall told Burdall: "There was talk about not wearing a condom and that your boyfriend would want her to get pregnant and that, if that happened, she was to tell her mother that it was a mate's brother.

"All she had to tell her mum was that she was going to see a mate. You sent her pictures. The pair of you were texting her at this point about having sex with her. You sent photos and told her not to tell anyone or show them to anyone.

"You told her that she must not report him to the police. You arranged to meet the next day at the Bridlington train station. There was talk about what sexual positions she would want.

"The next day, you travelled and went to the train station, expecting to meet her, but you were apprehended by the group of people who had effectively set all this up and the police were called.

"This was a deliberate decision made by the pair of you. The harm is less because no actual victim existed. It still makes it a serious offence, however.

"You did both go to the railway station with the intention of meeting this child and it was obvious what was intended because you so graphically described it in those texts.

"She was encouraged and told not to report the behaviour. Pregnancy was a possibility. You each preyed on a vulnerable member of society, a child who you believed was a genuine child.

"Both of you attended at the train station expecting her to attend so that physical acts could take place."

Tranmer was jailed for two-and-a-half years and Burdall was locked up for two years and three months. They were each given an eight-year sexual harm prevention order.

Tranmer must register as a sex offender for life and Burdall must notify her details to the police for 10 years.