Simon Hulme 41

Description

Pervert Simon Hulme has been jailed after he was snared by a paedophile hunter months after he was released from prison for similar offences.

The 35-year-old was locked up for 30 months in January 2016 for three offences of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

But within months of his release he was again making contact with what he believed was a child online.

However, he was actually chatting with a woman who set up a fake profile on social media site Kick.

Using the name of Shelly she told the defendant she was aged 13. He told her he was aged 35 and sent her videos of him performing a sex act on himself.

He asked for pictures of her and for her to go live on the site so he could see what she looked like.

His requests became aggressive and the woman discontinued the chats and reported the defendant to a group called Protecting the Innocent.

The group confronted the defendant at Bucknall Park and he was arrested by police.

Now Hulme has been jailed for two years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Peter McCartney said the defendant initiated conversation with 'Shelly' on the Kick site in December.

He said: "He told her he was 35 and sent her videos of himself performing a sex act on himself. He asked her for pictures of her and requested she went live on the site so he could see what she looked like. He wanted to get her back to his house. The requests for sending a video became aggressive. He demanded she viewed videos of him.

"He said he wanted sex. She made it clear she was only 13. She discontinued the chats and contacted the Protecting the Innocent group.

"He was eventually confronted in Bucknall Park and was arrested by the police."

Hulme, of Rosedawn Close West, Hanley, pleaded guilty to breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order; attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child; and attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child between December 1 and January 5.

Samina Rashid, mitigating, said the defendant accepts sending the messages.

She added: "On his release from the last sentence he was told he would start a programme very soon. That did not materialise until the first week in January and he had only had one session before he was arrested."

Judge David Fletcher told Hulme: "The behaviour you entered into very shortly after your release was very similar to the behaviour you had been sentenced for in 2016.

"The really worrying aspect is you knew very well the girl you were talking to was 13-years-old. Nevertheless, you continued to encourage her to do the sorts of things which she indicated she was not very keen on doing."

He added: "This is a very serious set of circumstances committed by a man who has extremely similar previous convictions who seems to have learnt little or nothing from his previous incarceration."

Hulme was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was made the subject of a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.