Description
A pervert had his baby with him when he set off hoping to meet a child he had been sending sex chats to online.
Shaun Watson had been communicating with a profile he thought was a 14-year-old called Paige but was in fact being run by paedophile hunters.
He first contacted her on the Skout app but was not deterred when a member of the Child Online Safety Team told him Paige was underage.
He made lewd comments about what he wanted to do, including asking if she wanted to watch him masturbate.
The Paige profile disappeared but when another, similar one appeared, Watson contacted it and sent pictures of his penis, despite being told she was 14. He also asked for photographs of her genitals.
The group also set up a profile on MeetMe using the same name and picture and Watson made contact with that too around six weeks later.
He was again told she was a child but his conversation quickly turned sexual and he sent pictures of his genitals and encouraged her to carry out a sex act on herself.
The court heard he then arranged to meet her.
Prosecutor Michael Bunch told the court: "It appears the defendant did initially travel to that meeting.
"He said he was with his one-year-old daughter but before the meeting happened he said he needed to return home because his daughter would not settle."
Members of the Child Online Safety Team confronted Watson at his place of work and home and police were contacted.
While waiting for the police, he said he was an "idiot"
Conviction mentioned here: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-east-paedophile-sex-crime-22204589