Peter Bancroft 68

Description

A dad-of-five arranged to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex after grooming her online.

However unknown to Peter Bancroft the girl did not actually exist and a fictitious profile had been set up for her by the paedophile hunting group, Stop UK.

65-year-old Bancroft - who was later found to have child sex abuse images on his mobile phone - began chatting to Sally Smith on Facebook on June 17 this year after describing her profile picture as "lovely".

Robert Wyn Jones, prosecuting said: "The decoy made it clear she was eleven years old and repeated this during conversations."

Bancroft quickly brought the conversations around to sexual matters and "asked if she wanted to know about sex. He described penetrative sex. He said he had had sex with three virgins".

Mr Wyn Jones said the granddad sent her a picture of himself and his car and asked her to send him a postcode so they could meet.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today (Monday, November 1) that he arranged to meet her at 11am on July 11 but when he arrived at the destination in Oldham members of Stop UK were waiting for him.

He told them: I have only been chatting with her."

They contacted the police who arrested him and in interview he said "his intention was to meet her and take her for a walk and claimed he did not intend to the sex.

"He said the messages were intended to warn her about sex with boys."

Bancroft, of Eccleston Avenue, Bromborough, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

He also had seven offences involving possessing indecent images of children in all three categories of seriousness and extreme pornography.

Jailing him for three years and nine months Judge Andrew Menary, QC, the Recorder of Liverpool, said: "You asked her if she wanted to know about sex.

"You went on to describe sex acts, including penetrative sex, to what you believed was an 11-year-old girl."

Judge Menary told Bancroft that he drove to Oldham for the purpose of having sex with the child though he pretended he just wanted to go for a walk with her.

He added: "It is clear from the nature of the messages that your sole intention was to groom what you believed was a young girl and corrupt her into having sexual intercourse with you."

Judge Menary described the age difference as enormous and said that it was clear from the author of a pre-sentence report the defendant "was struggling to recognise the significance of what you had done".

Judge Menary said: "I hope as a consequence of work done with you in prison when you will realise the very serious nature of this intended activity.

"The seriousness of it cannot be overstated."

He ordered Bancroft, who was described by a probation officer as being "a high risk to children", to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

John Weate, defending, said: "His major mitigation is his guilty plea, although it was not entered at the first opportunity at the magistrates court."

He said that Bancroft, who has no similar convictions, recognises he will have to undertake work while in prison to address his offending behaviour.

Mr Weate also told the court that the defendant has health problems and added: "He has a large number of children and grandchildren but has no contact with them."

He said that after Bancrofts arrest "some people made it public knowledge and his property was ransacked and all his belongings have gone".