Tony Watson 56

Description

A pervert turned up hoping to meet a 14-year-old girl he had been grooming online but was instead greeted by paedophile hunters and police.

Tony Watson had engaged in sexual chat with the profile of what he thought was a schoolgirl called Amy but was in fact Dark Justice.

After switching the conversation from a website to WhatsApp, he suggested they go on a camping trip, asked if she slept naked, asked if she would like to lose her virginity soon and asked about her genitals.

Watson then arranged to meet her at Newcastle Central Station but when he turned up he was arrested.

Now the 52-year-old has been given a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

Alec Burns, prosecuting, said Watson first contacted the Amy profile in September 2018 on the Fast Flirting website.

She told him she was 14 and discussed going to school.

Mr Burns told the court: "He asked if she had met anyone from dating sites and asked what was doing that Thursday or Friday and if she fancied meeting."

When they moved the chat to WhatsApp, he made suggestions about buying her clothes and they exchanged photographs - his face and her in a vest and a dress, which he said he liked.

Mr Burns said: "The grooming continued for the next few days and he offered to take her for a drive to the park, suggested camping out, asked if she sleeps naked and asked if she wanted to remain a virgin much longer and asked if she would like to lose her virginity soon."

He also asked about her genitals and discussed having sex and they then arranged to meet

Watson, of Kingsway, Blackwater, Hampshire, was sentenced to 12 months suspended for two years with supervision. He must also do a sex offenders programme and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Sarah Mallett said he had given a dishonest account of the offence when he spoke to probation and was talking "self-pity and nonsense".

But she said the long delay in the case being concluded was punishment in itself and that she would suspend the sentence in order to give him time to complete the work needed to address his offending behaviour.

Deborah Smithies, defending, said: "He has lost his good name. He is 52 and has never been before a court before."

She added that he has been anxious and frightened about the outcome of the case and that the proceedings have "left their mark" on him.

Miss Smithies said there had been a "certain amount of denial" on Watson's part when talking to probation and that he "demonstrates a lack of insight".