Locations
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Description
A 55-year-old High Wycombe man who was confronted by paedophile hunters when he attempted to meet a 14-year-old girl after grooming her online has been jailed for 18 months.
Mark Porter was sentenced at Luton Crown Court today (February 10) after a jury found him guilty in December of attempting to meet a girl online following sexual grooming, however it is likely Porter will only serve nine months of his sentence.
During the trial the jury heard that Porter contacted a young girl called Jenny Johnson over the internet, asked her to send pictures of her body and attempted to persuade her to visit his flat.
Porter sent numerous messages to the young girl, claiming he was falling in love, and that he wanted to “make love” to her.
However “Jenny” was a fake Facebook profile created by Neil and Katie Ivall - who launched a not-for profit organisation “Chris Fear” after a relative was groomed over the internet by a paedophile.
Porter was then caught up in a sting by the Ivalls at Luton Rail Station on March 25 last year.
The Ivalls were alerted to Porter by a concerned parent, who believed the High Wycombe man had attempted to contact his young daughter.
Porter denied the charges, claiming he knew Jenny was not a 14-year-old girl, but he continued his contact with her in an attempt to “unmask” those who were behind the messages.
During the sentencing, Judge Phillip Bartle said: “I was the trial judge, and the child in question was Jenny Johnson, who did not exist which is why you were convicted with an attempt to meet a child following sexual grooming.
“A Facebook profile was created by Mrs Ivall and it was she, an adult, who responded to the Facebook messages and the calls to Jenny.
“It was clear from their decision that the jury rejected your defence that you knew Jenny was not a 14-year-old girl and you continued your contact with her to unmask those who were behind this.
“She, as far as you knew, was 14-years-old and you were 54 at the time…
“There were many messages, saying you “want her, can you send me a picture of your body, not a bad one, so I know it is really you.”
During his contact with the young girl, Porter told Jenny not to tell her mum she was talking to him, as he feared being registered as a paedophile.
Judge Bartle continued: “You made arrangements to meet Jenny by meeting her outside Luton railway station, and then, as far as you were aware would drive her back to your flat where you would spend the weekend together, but when you got there you were met by the Ivalls and others. You were then arrested.”
During the sentencing it was revealed Porter committed the offence while he was serving a suspended prison sentence for a crime relating to the harassment of his ex-partner in 2014.
The court heard Porter was emotionally abusive and made his ex’s life a “misery” following the breakdown of their relationship by following her and “turn up uninvited” at places where he knew she would be.
However judge Bartle made the decision not to impose the suspended sentence due to the different nature of the crimes involved.
Porter was also slapped with a restraining order preventing him from contacting the family who approached the Ivalls, and a sexual harm prevention order.