David Taylor 52

Description

A man jailed for more than three years for grooming what he thought was an 11-year-old girl took condoms to meet 'her' at Baths KFC restaurant.

David Taylor, aged 45, of Rodwell Park in Trowbridge, made online sexual approaches to the fictional 11-year-old girl before arranging to meet her in Bath in April.

However, when he arrived at the fast food chain he was confronted by a self-styled paedophile hunter who had been pretending to be the girl.

Taylor admitted attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming and attempting to cause/incite a female child to engage in sexual activity at Swindon Crown Court on August 1.

He was due to be sentenced on August 25, but the hearing was adjourned until Friday (Sept 14), where he was jailed for three years and four months.

The court heard how police launched an investigation and traced Taylor from a video of the confrontation posted on Facebook.

After being arrested at his home in Trowbridge, Taylor told police he had taken condoms with him to the meeting outside the KFC restaurant.

James Haskell, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court: "It seems this person had effectively sought to emulate what is referred to as 'paedophile hunters' and that person engaged in online chat conversations with the defendant pretending to be an 11-year-old girl.

"The defendant engaged in conversations with that person believing it was a child under 13. He sent photographs of himself and he engaged in conversations of a sexually explicit nature."

Simon Goodman, defending, said Taylor was an inadequate man and had been suffering recently from mental health problems and had probably never had a proper relationship.

Taylor was jailed for 40 months for attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming.

He also received another 40-month sentence to be severed concurrently for attempting to cause/ incite a female child to engage in sexual activity.

He denied a third count of trying to meet a child after sexual grooming and that was left to lie on the file.

Taylor was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

An NSPCC spokesman for South West England said: Taylor groomed his young victim with the sole intention of earning her trust so he could meet her, and go on to sexually abuse and exploit her.

He was fully aware of her age but continued with his despicable behaviour regardless.

This kind of predatory activity can ruin childhoods, with the devastating effects lasting into adulthood.

Taylor must be policed effectively on his release from prison to help reduce any risk he poses to children.