Richard Ayres 59

Description

A paedophile claimed he sent sexual messages to people he thought were a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl because he was "lonely". He asked the girls, who were in reality undercover police officers, if they wanted to meet him and have sex.

Richard Ayres, 58, of Cardiff, began speaking to the decoys, who he believed to be called Abby and Kirsty, on the Kik messenger app in March last year. Upon being told Abby was 13 years old he asked her for photographs and offered to meet her for "fun".

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard the defendant sent photographs of himself behind a desk and told Abby he wanted to kiss her. They also discussed French kissing, he asked her for "sexy selfies" ,and said he "could not wait to get his hands on her body". He also offered to rub sun lotion on her body and messaged: "Do you want me inside you? Do you want my c*** baby?". 

Prosecutor Eugene Egan said Ayres told Kirsty he would "pay her a visit for fun" and asked her to send photographs of herself. He also offered her the chance to "make out" in his car. The decoy made reference to the fact she was in school and the defendant said they could come "make out some arrangement". He also lied about his age by claiming he was 45 years old.

He also told Kirsty that her ex was "lucky to have sex with her" and sent her a message offering "fun" with a red lip emoji. He also exchanged further images of himself.

Ayres was arrested at his home on June 28 and told police he had an addiction to Kik and described his actions as "disgusting and wrong". The defendant, of Ravens Court Close, Penylan, later pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to communicate with a child and two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Defence barrister Andrew Kendal said his client had no intention to meet up with the decoys and the arrangements he made in the conversations for them to meet were "vague". He said there had been a strain in the defendant's marriage and loneliness led to him downloading Kik and communicating with the decoys.

He said Ayres lives with his mother and was concerned about how she would cope if he was sent to prison. The court also heard he worked in a Lidl supermarket and paid child maintenance to his ex-wife.

Sentencing, Recorder John Philpotts said: "You have lost your good character in the most disgraceful way. You had conversations with people you believed to be two girls aged 12 and 13."

Ayres was sentenced to a total of two years imprisonment. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements for seven years.