Latest Offenders

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A former teaching assistant has been jailed for the sexual assault of a child under 13 Essex Police officers from the child abuse investigation teams (CAIT) arrested 25-year-old Michael Pena-Briggs shortly after an offence was reported to the force in March 2019. Following a complex investigation he was charged in October 2019 with sexual assault of a child under 13. Pena-Briggs, of The Grove in Cambridge, faced his first trial for the offence at Chelmsford Crown Court in May 2021 but was met with a hung jury. The retrial began last month where he was found guilty. It took less than 2 hours for the jury to reach the verdict. At the same court on Monday he was jailed for four years. He will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for life. Investigating officer for the case, Detective Sergeant Stuart Pryke, said: Offences of this kind will always be shocking and disturbing, particularly when that person is in a position of trust. This will undoubtedly be difficult news for the local community but please be assured that our teams and partners have safeguarded and supported all those involved in the investigation. The victim and their family have shown incredible strength and courage throughout this lengthy and complex case. Everything we do and all the hard work is for them, to make sure that they get the justice they deserve." The victims family have said: This has been a long journey but the police and the CPS have been unrelenting in their pursuit of justice. We are especially grateful to DS Pryke of Essex Police for his commitment and dedication, and to CARA, the Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse, for their ongoing support. We hope that by achieving this significant result, other victims and their families will have the confidence to come forward and work with the police so that more offenders can be apprehended and more children protected.

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A SEX offender who distributed indecent images of children from his 900,000 home in Kilmacolm told how he 'fantasises' about young female members of his own family. William Robertson, 66 who was caught with photos of girls aged between four and 15 years revealed his sordid thoughts to another pervert in a flurry of online messages. Robertson also wrote on the Kik messenger app that he was 'into schoolgirls', a hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court was told. Cybercrime police swooped on his plush home as part of an intelligence-led sting operation on May 4 last year. Officers found 66 indecent images of female children on Robertson's laptop computer and iPhone spanning the three most serious categories. During the raid, the 66-year-old said to his wife: "I'm not part of a ring or anything like that." Prosecutor Laura Wilcox told the court how police were acting on information about indecent images 'connected to the accused' being 'uploaded to the internet'. Fiscal depute Miss Wilcox said: "Child exploitation and abuse material was recovered. "All of the images were accessible to the user. "The accused said he fantasizes about young female members of his own family." Robertson pleaded guilty to charges of, on various occasions, taking or permitting to be taken or making and possession of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children between August 1 2018 and May 3 2021. He also admitted to, on various occasions between February 1 and May 4 last year, distributing or showing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. Robertson committed the offences at a house on Kilmacolm's West Glen Road and elsewhere. He is currently on bail at a different address. His plea of not guilty to a charge of covertly filming female children entering a school was accepted by prosecutors. Sheriff Linda Smith deferred sentence on Robertson until June 29 for a background report and electronic tagging assessment to be carried out. The sheriff immediately placed him on the Sex Offenders Register, with the length of his inclusion to be determined at his next hearing.

Description

A man snared by online paedophile hunters posing as 12 and 13 year old girls has been jailed.

Paul White, 55, had been having sexualised communication with what he believed were giris, aged 12 and 13, but in fact were members of a group known as Innocent Voices.

Norwich Crown Court heard White had been communicating with them after setting up fake profiles on social media.

Duncan O'Donnell, prosecuting, said that between October 2021 and March this year White had been engaged in "sexualised chat" with the pair, asking them if they had boyfriends and if their breasts had developed yet.

He requested they send pictures and asked whether they wanted to see him - although never met up with them.

But White was then contacted by an adult decoy who said she was an adult woman who he met with at a pub in Upwell on March 13 this year.

He was then confronted by paedophile hunters who had passed on details to the police.

White had been in possession of an internet-enabled mobile phone which was in breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) imposed on him after previously being convicted for sexual offences in 2017.

White, of Dovecote Road, Upwell, near Wisbech appeared at court on Thursday (June 9) to be sentenced after having previously admitted four offences, including two charges of sexual communications with what he believed was a girl under-16.

He also admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed in 2017 by attempting to communicate with under-16s and possessing a mobile phone without informing police.

Jailing him for 40 months Judge Katharine Moore said the spell of offending was "deeply concerning".

Judge Moore said White was a "dangerous offender" who was assessed as being a "high risk of causing serious sexual harm" to children.

Andrew Oliver, mitigating, said White, who deserved credit for plea, lost his father, who he described as his best friend, about 12 months ago which hit him "very hard".

He said that White needed help to "rewire his brain".

White was ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for 10 years while the case was adjourned until July 7 when a new sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) will be made.

Description

Stephen Jones, of Sunderland, was subject to restrictions after he was caught by paedophile hunters, including being banned from deleting internet devices A sex offender has been jailed for deleting the history on his phone. Stephen Jones was given a chance to stay out of prison in 2020 when he was caught by paedophile hunters attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. As part of his sentence for that offence he got a sexual harm prevention order and one of the terms of it was a ban on deleting his internet history. On May 11 this year, police went to his home to check up on him and asked to examine his devices. The 55-year-old, of Gladstone Street, Sunderland, handed over a phone, saying they would not find anything on it. When told there should be something on it, as he was banned from erasing it, he said: "You won't find anything, I wiped it. I like to wipe my phone." He was arrested and replied "S*** I'm going to prison." As well as the conviction from 2020, he was also in court in September last year of failing to comply with his sex offender notification requirements after failing to notify a change of address. And in November he was convicted of a similar breach. For the latest offence, he pleaded guilty to breaching his sexual harm prevention order and was jailed for 18 months. Judge Christopher Prince, at Newcastle Crown Court, told him: "You have got a concerning record in recent times. You are a high risk of sexual offences against children."

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Sick predator Robert Moors, 36, attempted to groom girls as young as eight using social media video app TikTok before moving the conversation to Whatsapp where he asked one about her underwear A creepy predator has been thrown in jail for four years after it emerged he was grooming girls as young as eight via social media app TikTok. Robert Moors, 36, used the China-owned video app to ask one of his two of his victims what underwear she as wearing. The 12-year-old admitted that they were Frozen-themed, and the sick man then asked her to perform sexual acts, Oxford Crown Court heard. And he even dared the girl to tell her brother to expose his genitals for five seconds. Things took an even more sinister turn when the man, who went under the name Goldeneye0073, moved the conversation to WhatsApp. A second victim, who was ten when she was contacted on TikTok by Moors, was asked what she was wearing. He suggested she remove her underwear. The vile messages were discovered when the second girl approached her father 'shaking and crying' and showed him the social media conversation. Moors was arrested two days later, on December 21 last year, and his mobile phone was seized. When it was searched by police experts, the phone was found to contain 95 child sex abuse videos in the worst category, which includes depictions of child rape. There were 75 videos in category B and 65 in category C. The children in the videos were aged between six and 11. He was interviewed twice and answered no comment to all questions asked. Jailing him for four years, Judge Michael Gledhill QC said: "You opened TikTok, you browsed through the material that was openly on view and you selected two girls who happened to be eight and 10-years-old. "You spoke to them directly and you asked them to do sexual things, albeit not the most serious sexual things but we are talking about girls under 10. "Why were you doing it? For your own sexual gratification. Gareth James, mitigating, described the case as a troubling one and acknowledged the custody threshold had been passed. His client had no previous convictions and entered his guilty pleas at the first opportunity. Moors pleaded guilty to inciting a girl under-13 to engage in sexual activity and possession of indecent images of children. He will be on the sex offender register for life and was made subject to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order designed to limit his unfettered access to children and the internet.

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A Leeds man has been jailed for two years after he was caught grooming what he thought to be a 13-year-old girl - which was actually a decoy set up by Predator Exposure. Predator Exposure seeks to expose sex offenders who target children online. Group members set up 'decoy' social media profiles pretending to be of a child and then engage in online conversations. Bilal Ahmed, 25, contacted an account set up by a member of the group in March 2020, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday (June 7). "One of their group uploaded a profile of a child named Melanie aged 13 years", the prosecutor said. "The defendant contacted Melanie through her Facebook account on March 22. "There were a series of conversations. "Ultimately the defendant blocked Melanie because he wasn't getting answers." The chat that did take place was "sexually explicit on occasions", the prosecutor said. He added: "The defendant displayed grooming type behaviour wanting to meet Melanie. "He said: 'Would you let me hold your neck and kiss your lips slowly." Police officers seized Ahmed's mobile phone and the chat was uncovered. He was arrested in February 2021 and answered no comment to questions, before being released under investigation. In December 2021, Ahmed was also arrested after turning up at the place of work of a woman who he had previously been warned about harassing. On December 21, he turned up at her place of work. At the end of her shift, wary Ahmed was "lurking", the woman asked a colleague to accompany her to leave the building, Leeds Crown Court was told. Ahmed "wanted to speak" to the woman and "would not take no for an answer". The victim was worried for her safety as Ahmed attempted to grab her handbag, the court heard. CCTV footage showed Ahmed pushing the woman and punching the man, the court was told. This caused an injury to the male victim's face. Ahmed refused to leave the area until police arrived. Ahmed, of Norwood Terrace, Leeds, pleaded guilty to one count of affray, one count of attempting to communicate sexually with a child and offences of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. In mitigation, Khadim Al Hassan said Ahmed had long standing psychological issues and was bullied at school. He began to use cannabis and alcohol from the age of 11 or 12, the court was told. Ahmed has depression and anxiety and his "head was all over the place", the court heard. "This was a very difficult time for him", Mr Al Hassan said. "Custody has been very difficult for him. "He is somebody the probation service could help. "He has shown genuine remorse." Sentencing Ahmed, Judge Tom Bayliss QC told Ahmed he was "grooming" who he thought to be the girl. "The aim on your part was to meet her, but you were caught", the Judge continued. "There was a degree of planning on your part, grooming behaviour for some time. "There has to be an immediate custodial sentence." Ahmed was jailed for two years. He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for a period of 10 years and must sign a sex offender notification for 10 years. Ahmed was also given a restraining order against the female victim of the affray.

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A MAN has been jailed for raping a woman. Police said Isaac Amponsah was found unanimously guilty by a jury of oral rape at a property in Worthing in November 2018. At Hove Crown Court, the 41-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison and handed a restraining order preventing him from any future contact with the victim. Amponsah, of Strand Parade, Goring, will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life. Investigating Officer Amber Evans said: I hope the outcome of this case will provide reassurance to the public that reports of sexual offences are investigated diligently and tirelessly. I also hope it will give other victims of sexual offences the confidence to make a report to the police. The victim in this case has shown incredible bravery, not only in reporting this matter but in supporting the investigation and prosecution over an extended period of time. She gave evidence in court and should be proud of the key part she played in bringing Amponsah to justice. Hopefully the conviction and sentence will offer some level of comfort to the victim and will prevent Amponsah from committing any such crime in the future. Importantly, once he is released from prison, he will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely, affording long-term protection to other women.

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A man who raped a woman on a footbridge could have his jail sentence increased. John Horne was sentenced to nine years in prison for raping the 22-year-old on the footbridge near Fareham Train Station in Hampshire, in March. The case has now been referred to the Attorney General's office under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme. It may then be referred to the Court of Appeal which has the power to increase sentences. Horne, who was 39 at the time of the attack, admitted charges of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in what was described as a "prolonged" assault at Portsmouth Crown Court in May. Horne was told he was considered a dangerous offender so would serve at least two-thirds of his sentence behind bars. A statement from the victim, read to the court at the time, said she had been a "smiley" character before the attack, but now suffered with daily anxiety and feared she would "never be my normal self again". At his sentencing Judge Richard Shepherd told Horne he had "terrorised" his victim and robbed her of what should have been a "carefree and safe young adulthood". A spokesperson from the Attorney General's Office confirmed it had received a request for the sentence to be looked at under the ULS scheme, which deals with complaints about sentences considered to be unreasonably low. Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision, the spokesperson said.

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A BT worker has been jailed for 22 months after pleading guilty to possessing more than 124,000 indecent images of children. Ashok Rana, 41, of Langley Green, Crawley, was handed the immediate custodial sentence at Hove Crown Court. The court heard that due to the large number of indecent images, police officers had to stop categorising them. Indecent images of children are classified as either Category A, Category B or Category C, with Category A the most serious. The court was told that Rana had 201 Category A images, with 76 moving images, 68 Category B images, 27 of them moving images, and in excess of 124,000 Category C images. He had pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing. The court was told that Rana cannot help himself and was unable to control himself when it came to possessing indecent images, with many of them of children as young as three years old. In jailing Rana, a manager with telecoms firm BT, the Recorder, Ms Sarah Elliott, said she had read the case with care. I have looked at this case [and] it is a tragic one, she said, telling Rana that this type of offence puts children at risk. She added: While these offences are reprehensible in all other respects you are a decent member of society with a supportive family, who ought to be making his mark in a positive way. Ranas sister sat in the public gallery throughout the hearing and broke down in tears when sentence was passed. Rana also admitted he was in breach of a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, previously imposed by Lewes Crown Court. He was also in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and the court was told that Rana used six devices without the required monitoring software. Ms Elliott jailed Rana for 12 months for possessing the Category A images, eight months for breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order and activated the suspended sentence for two months, with all sentences to run consecutively. She also jailed him for eight months for possessing the Category B images and four months for possessing the Category C images, to run concurrently. Rana was told he will spend half of the 22 months in custody, and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Description

A Scarborough sex offender and prolific criminal has been jailed yet again after CCTV cameras captured him sexually touching an under-age girl in the street and kissing her teenage friend. Nathan Collinson, 33, was stood outside a house on a named street in Scarborough when he shouted the two girls over as they passed by, York Crown Court heard. He touched one of them intimately and kissed both victims, said prosecutor Rob Stephenson. Collinson was arrested after being identified on CCTV and bailed, but the brazen criminal then burgled a guest room at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough while the occupiers were asleep. The sexual offences occurred at night in October 2020 when the two girls were shouted (over) by (Collinson) who was stood outside an address on (the named street), said Mr Stephenson. The (victims) both approached him and he kissed each of them, added the prosecutor. Collinson touched one of them on an intimate area over her clothing and kissed her again. He then kissed the other girl and walked with both victims to the corner of the street where there was more kissing and hugging and embracing. Everything was captured on CCTV, said Mr Stephenson. The girls eventually walked away but were followed by Collinson, who went inside a house briefly with the two victims, although nothing untoward occurred inside the property. The victims were interviewed by police following the gathering of CCTV evidence and Collinson was arrested about a month after the offences. He was identified by both victims but remained silent in police interview. Collinson was still on bail for the sexual offences when he sneaked inside the Grand Hotel on St Nicholas Cliff and was trying door handles at various guest rooms. He finally found an open door to a room where a couple were sleeping. (The male victim) woke to find the defendant inside his room, which was in darkness, said Mr Stephenson. The defendant had taken 40 from his wallet in his coat pocket. He then threw down the coat and made off. Police were called out to the hotel and viewed CCTV footage which showed Collinson trying the door handles of several rooms before entering (the victims room) twice in quick succession. Officers were told there was a man who had been at the hotel who was not a guest. Police found him hiding in an unoccupied room in the hotel and arrested him. He initially told police he couldnt remember if he committed the offence. Collinson, of no fixed address, ultimately admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child, burglary and a separate offence of possessing cannabis. He appeared for sentence on Tuesday June 7. The court heard he had a previous conviction from 2012 for sexually assaulting a woman, which resulted in a six-week prison sentence. He then breached his notification requirements over the next six years. He had 43 previous convictions for 83 offences dating back nearly 20 years. They included numerous thefts and burglaries. His solicitor advocate David Camidge said that Collinson, a father-of-one, had drug and alcohol problems stemming from a very difficult upbringing. He added that Collinson was otherwise a hard-working man. Judge Sean Morris told Collinson: Im afraid men of your age need to understand you dont start kissing and groping young girls. You were released on bail and went and burgled a hotel room where a couple were staying, and you disturbed them. "It must have been a frightening event and you were in that hotel trying the doors, trying to steal. "You are a prolific offender. Collinson was jailed for two years and made subject to a six-year sexual-harm prevention order. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

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A woman out for a walk during the first Covid lockdown was subjected to a frightening street sex attack by Abdishakhur Ahmed A woman was subjected to a frightening sex attack while out for a walk in Birmingham during a Covid lockdown. Abdishakhur Ahmed grabbed the victim's breast and also rubbed himself against her before fleeing. Ahmed, 27, of Victor Tower, Nechells, who had previously been convicted of sexual assault following a trial, was sentenced to six months suspended for two years, ordered to pay 200 compensation and put on the Sex Offender's Register for seven years. Paul Fairley, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: "Just before 8pm on April 9 2020 the victim was crossing Saltley Viaduct just into the first Covid lockdown and had been out for her daily exercise." She saw the defendant walking towards her and the court heard she thought he may have special education needs because he was mumbling something she could not understand. She then began to cross the road near Saltley Business Park and Ahmed followed her. The defendant then pulled the woman back by her hood, she began screaming, and he then put his hand down her top placing his hand there for about 30 seconds. He eventually let go but then thrust his pelvis against her bottom several times before running off. Mr Fairley said two people in a passing car stopped to assist the victim. They initially believed it had been a "boyfriend-girlfriend situation" but then chased after Ahmed, catching up with him and tripping him before waiting for the police to arrive. In passing sentence Judge Roderick Henderson said: "This was an impulsive offence but it was extremely frightening for this woman who was walking along the road safely as she was entitled to when you literally went out of your way to assault her sexually. "It would have been wrong to describe it as a sustained or repeated assault but for her it will have felt like a long time. A significant aggravating factor of this offence is that it was committed during the course of a Covid lockdown when most of us were understandably frightened of close contact with other people and that would have made a frightening event even more frightening." The judge said he had taken into account that Ahmed had stayed out of trouble since the offence and that he wanted to try and stop him repeating his behaviour. Cathlyn Orchard, defending, said Ahmed was of previous good character and that it had been opportunistic.

Description

A pervert who downloaded more than 9,000 images of children being abused was spared prison because he has Aspergers.

Kevin Cornes, 35, of Ascot Avenue, Runcorn, reportedly shook with anxiety in the dock for much of the hearing at Chester Crown Court on Monday as he appeared to learn his fate. Paedophile Cornes spoke to confirm he had pleaded guilty at magistrates court on May 6 to three counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing an indecent image of a child, the latter charge covering all 9,177 images.

According to Simon Mintz, prosecuting, the making part of the charge refers to the act of downloading. He said police executed a warrant at Corness home on March 30 last year and seized digital devices.

Three devices were significant, showing Cornes had downloaded 1,259 Category A images - the worst type, 1,234 in Category B, and 6,694 Category C, totalling 9,177 images. File names suggested the ages of the children ranged between three and 13 years old.

Mr Mintz said the vast majority were still images and 103 were videos. They were believed to have been downloaded between August 2019 and March 6 last year.

Cornes answered no comment when police interviewed him in January 2022. Mr Mintz said Cornes had a similar conviction from 2015 for making indecent images when he received a three-year community order, which expired in 2018, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to run until 2025.

He said the sentencing range for making Category A images was six months to three years.

Judge Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, approved the revocation of the previous SHPO and replaced it with an updated order covering Corness use of the internet and police access to his devices.

Katy Laverty, defending, said Cornes was a young man who suffers autism and Aspergers, which she said explained part of the offending behaviour, which was of a repetitive nature.

She argued her client should be spared an immediate prison sentence.

Ms Laverty said: He doesnt seek to minimise his actions or place blame elsewhere.

Hes ashamed of what hes done and wants to change.

She said Cornes said he had been traumatised by personal experiences during his life and now felt he had opened up about these, and was fully motivated to comply with whatever probation asked of him because he understands this is a last opportunity.

Ms Laverty added Cornes had abstained from alcohol, had a number of difficulties including depression and anxiety and had attempted to take his own life.

He was also absolutely terrified of prison.

Recorder Everett said the court faced a difficult sentencing exercise.

He branded abuse images a terrible thing, but said a short prison sentence wouldnt mitigate any longer term risk posed to the public by Cornes.

With reference to a probation report and the guidelines for custodial and community sentences, he concluded there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

He said he accepted Cornes had a very troubling history both by you and against you, and that to an extent due to his Asperger's, Cornes did not have the same kind of control as people who dont suffer it.

The judge sentenced Cornes to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He also ordered the 35-year-old to complete up to 60 days of rehabilitation, the maximum available, including the Horizon sex offender programme, alongside a 10-year SHPO and 10 years on the sex offender register.

Recorder Everett said: The pre-sentence report shows a very troubling history, both by you and against you, but most particularly the fact that you suffer with Aspergers and Im well aware of what that means and Im well aware of the issues that causes.

Commenting on the charges, Recorder Everett said abuse victims in the images, if they lived, will have been scarred for life.

He said some perpetrators resort to killing their child victims to get rid of the evidence.

He said: These images are images of children who have been sexually abused, nothing more nothing less, God knows when or where, anywhere in the world, placed on the internet for people like you, sadly, to access them.

No-one can pretend that the people committed these terrible offences wont go on and commit them anyway because sadly people who do these things have distorted views of what a normal person should do.

But when people like you download (them), what you do is provide ready access for people to see this terrible abuse and unfortunately you give encouragement to people who do these things.

Description

A SERIAL sex offender is back behind bars after trying to hide an internet-enabled mobile from police within weeks of his release from prison. Stewart Tivendale was sentenced to an extended period of five years and issued with an indefinite SHPO for his 'distorted proclivities' when he appeared in court in January 2020. And after he was released from custody on January 21 this year, officers from Cleveland Police visited his home on Westbourne Street, Stockton, to check whether he was complying with the conditions of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). The 26-year-old was initially jailed for three years in 2018 after he admitted collecting and sharing pictures and videos of abuse and incited boys and girls online to send photographs and carry out disgusting acts. Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said officers became suspicious of Tivendales behaviour after he took a long time to answer the door when they arrived to carry out an inspection of his home. Miss Atkinson said the defendant had tried to hide the mobile phone but officers spotted a box for a mobile phone charger and carried out a thorough search of his property they discovered the Samsung mobile phone and discovered that he had been accessing the internet. Tivendale, of Westbourne Street, Stockton, pleaded guilty to two breaches of his sexual harm prevention order after he was found in possession of a mobile phone capable of accessing the internet and saving images. Emma Williams, in mitigation, said her client accepted he had breached his SHPO court order and didnt expect to be able to get away with it. Judge James Brown sentenced the 26-year-old to 20 months in custody for his two latest breaches of the court order. This is a very serious breach of your sexual harm prevention order and it must be viewed in context of your previous offending, which I regard as significant, he said. Following your release, you were again found with an internet-enabled device, you clearly tried to hide it from the police and tried to access various social media sites which you had used in the past to offend. Its clear to me what you had in mind and that was to commit further offences of a similar nature.

Description

A grandfather sent sick messages to an online contact he thought was a 14-year-old girl but turned out to be a 'paedophile hunter'. Raymond Francis believed he was talking to a child when he fantasised about "fondling" her and "making love" in her mother's bed.

The 64-year-old from Newport started an online conversation last July with a profile for a fictional child, Tia Johnson. In reality he was messaging a member of Elite Solo Decoys a vigilante group which "identifies people who seek out children on the internet", Cardiff Crown Court heard on Monday.

Prosecutor Matthew Roberts said the conversation stretched across a 91-page chat thread in the space of a week as Francis became increasingly "persistent, determined and sexually explicit". The vigilante had from the beginning told Francis that she was 14, sending computer-generated images of an underage girl which prompted the defendant to compliment her "sexy figure".

"The defendant said he wished 'Tia' was 16 before going on to ask if she would like sex now," Mr Roberts added. "The subject turned to the issue of contraception in the form of the pill, and she said she had not yet had a boyfriend. He sent pictures of himself topless, which were taken a number of years ago when the defendant was a lot more youthful. He asked for pictures of her breasts in return. She did not send any. He told her he drooled over pictures of her with long hair. He then told Tia she should delete pictures of him from her computer in case her mother located them."

Francis talked of "fondling" Tia in the shower and sent her images of couples having sex. He told her to "hurry up and get on the pill soon" because he hated using condoms. He also told her: "Don't tell anyone at all Tia."

Mr Roberts said Francis sought to make arrangements for sex with Tia when her mother was away. The granddad-of-four discussed "making love in your mother's bed all night".

Francis was arrested at the Coldra Roundabout McDonald's restaurant after being duped into a meeting with a different decoy run by a separate paedophile-hunting group. While being recorded Francis told the vigilantes he had been "chatting, nothing more", before they passed evidence to police. No charges came from the McDonald's meeting because Francis had believed he was meeting an adult, according to his barrister Stuart John.

But the defendant, of Westfield Avenue, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child over the Tia Johnson messages. Mr John said his client was already an "isolated man" and the publicity around the case has made him reluctant to leave the house as well as impacting his relationship with his children and grandchildren.

"He has never committed an offence like this before," said Mr John. "The one conviction he has goes back a significant period. He accepts he has to address his issues head-on. That's the only way to prove himself to his family, and if he can't do that his later years will look extremely bleak."

The judge, Recorder Duncan Bould, accepted Francis would be "extremely vulnerable" in prison due to his age and health issues. He said the defendant's actions were "insidious" and "designed to manipulate", but he was "just" persuaded that Francis should be spared immediate custody. He imposed an eight-month prison term suspended for two years and ordered the defendant to complete 30 days of rehab activity and a sex offender programme. Francis, who will be under a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years barring him from unsupervised contact with under-16s, must pay 700 in prosecution costs and a 156 victim services surcharge at a rate of 20 per week.

Description

A MAN aged 63 has been jailed for two years after he was snared by online paedophile hunters for sending naked pictures of himself to what he believed was a girl aged 13. Gordon Hunter was confronted by members of the group and then arrested by the police, Bradford Crown Court heard today. Recorder Alex Menary, told Hunter, a retired supermarket security guard, he would be failing in his public duty not to jail him. Hunter, of Range Bank, Halifax, pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate with a child for sexual purposes by sending her pictures of his exposed penis. He also admitted inciting a child aged 13 to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent photographs of children and possession of extreme pornographic images of a person performing a sexual act with an animal. All the offences took place between April 13 and June 9, 2019. Hunter told interviewing officers he was aware that he was speaking to a young adult woman. It was just role playing. Ken Green said in mitigation that he was deeply ashamed. He had worked hard all his life as a supermarket security guard and had caused his wife and family great distress. Recorder Menary ordered Hunter to sign on the sex offender register for ten years.