Alan Mennie 45

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Alan Mennie, of Hebburn, has been jailed for more than four years for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity

Online predator Alan Mennie has been jailed after he was exposed by paedophile hunters engaging in sex chats with what he thought were two underage girls.

The loner believed he was communicating with youngsters aged 11 and 13 over the internet but had been duped by Secret Whispers, an organisation behind fake profiles that are set up to snare paedophiles.

Now Mennie, 42, has been jailed for four years and one month at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Andrew Espley said: "This defendant engaged in sexual conversations with two separate people online, pretending to be children.

"Penetrative sexual activity was discussed and it emerged that those were fake profiles, set up by Secret Whispers."

The first conversation took place between October 2018 and April 2019.

Mr Espley said Mennie "made it clear he wasn't concerned she was 13" and asked if she had been with an older man.

Mennie invited the child to his home and engaged in graphic sexual conversation.

The second chat was between March and April 2019 and Mennie believed the girl was just 11.

Mr Espley said: "Full sexual intercourse was discussed."

The court heard Mennie tried to persuade both child profiles to perform sex acts on themselves.

As well as the prison sentence, Mennie, of Tharsis Road, Hebburn, South Tyneside, must abide by a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offenders register for life.

Judge Spragg said Mennie has never lived with a partner or lived apart from his mother, who is now in her 80s and is "socially isolated".

Nick Lane, defending, said: "He very much regrets the way he behaved and recognises the seriousness of his offending."

Mr Lane said Mennie became withdrawn after the sudden death of his father when he was younger.

The court heard Mennie was employed for a few years after leaving school but was then unable to work due to anxiety and depression, which he received counselling for.