Locations
Devon Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1
Description
Gareth Holliday, 37, was caught in a sting carried out by a paedophile hunter group, a court heard
A grieving dad has been jailed after he was caught trying to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex.
Gareth Holliday, 37, travelled an hour from his home in Blackburn to a location in Rochdale intending to have sex with an underage girl in his car, Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Unbeknown to him, he had been trapped in a sting carried out by a paedophile hunter group.
The girl he believed he was meeting was in fact a much older woman acting as a decoy, the court heard.
Holliday was confronted at the scene and police were called.
He was arrested and in interview did not deny that he had been exchanging sexual messages with a person he believed to be 13-years-old.
However, he claimed he had gone to meet the girl to 'make sure she got home safe', the court heard.
Mark Friend, defending, said Holliday suffers from learning difficulties and has an extremely low IQ.
"He has been met with tragedy," Mr Friend added.
"He and his partner - who has similar learning difficulties - have been in a relationship for some time and that tragedy... was devastating, the loss of his second child.
"It's unlikely to engender much sympathy but it's right that the court hears it.
"Subsequent to his arrest he was subjected to some rather unpleasant treatment in the community and he's now moved address.
"He would not be a difficult man to bully."
Anna Bond, prosecuting, told the court Holliday had initiated the contact with the decoy on a social media site and asked if she would like to be his 'sex friend'.
The decoy immediately informed him she was 13-years-old but it did not deter Holliday from continuing to send sexually explicit messages via WhatsApp.
He sent pictures of himself performing a sex act and encouraged the decoy to do likewise, the court heard.
Holliday also deleted some of the messages and told the decoy to do the same.
Sentencing, Judge Elliot Knopf said: "You were astute enough to groom this person you believed to be a girl.
"You were astute enough to delete messages from your phone and to suggest to her likewise.
"A level of awareness that is a relevant factor it seems to me."
Holliday, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after admitting seven child sex offences.
He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
"I accept that this will be difficult for you," Judge Knopf added.
"You are someone who may prove to be vulnerable.
"But you knew full well what you were doing... these are serious offences that are far too common in our society nowadays.
"Members of the public expect that people who involve themselves in this sort of activity will face an appropriate sentence to act as a deterrent and punishment, and to ensure that this behaviour, that is potentially so serious, will not be tolerated at all."