John Paul Bullingham 34

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John Paul Bullingham was described by a court as a 'committed, if unsuccessful, paedophile'

A paedophile attempted to meet a fictitious young girl and made threats to someone he thought was an 11-year-old girl, a court has heard.

John Paul Bullingham was caught with indecent images of children by police and he was released pending further investigation.

But in the meantime Swansea Crown Court heard how Bullingham, of Bowen Street in Neath, sexually communicated online with people he thought were young girls. During the exchanges he encouraged lewd behaviour, attempted to arrange to meet another, and made threats to a third.

Judge Paul Thomas QC told the defendant: "Having heard the evidence in this case you are a committed, if unsuccessful, paedophile.

"You had an index of category A images of children and those images had children as young as five part of a collection accumulated over a year.

"Having been caught you were released under investigation by the police but that did not stop you.

"After being released under investigation you communicated sexually online with children online. One of those was who you thought was a 14-year-old girl which you encouraged to masturbate herself.

"You arranged to meet in Neath who you believed was a 13-year-old girl and if she had been real I have no doubt you would have committed sexual offences in relation to her.

"Possibly the most unsavoury and most dangerous aspect of what happened was concerning who you thought was an 11-year-old girl. You said to the fictitious girl that you would contact her friends and others online if she did not do what you wanted her to do. That is a particularly sinister aspect of this case."

Bullingham appeared for sentencing after being found guilty by a jury following a trial of five counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child, one count of possessing indecent images of a child, five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and a further count of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Paul Hobson, mitigating, said: "At the age of 32 this is his first significant experience of custody. He has a relatively limited antecedent history. This is a defendant with a mild intellectual disability."

Sentencing Bullingham, Judge Thomas said: "I believe you pose a high risk of causing serious harm to others in future."

He handed Bullingham an eight-year sentenced comprising five and a half years in prison and the remainder on extended licence. He has also been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and an indefinite notification requirement.