Pietro Rossi 61

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A girl who a Royal Wootton Bassett man ‘wanted to abuse’ was actually an undercover cop.

Pietro Rossi was communicating with a profile on the internet chat room CHATiw – who claimed to be a 13-year-old female – between 27 April and 1 June 2020.

Robin Shellard, prosecuting, told Salisbury Crown Court today (Friday) that the 60-year-old sent numerous pictures of his erect penis and pornography showing females engaged in oral sex.

He continued to conversation on the messaging app Kik, where he told the ‘girl’ he wanted to sexually abuse her and requested what he called “naughty pictures” of her bottom.

The defendant also said he wished she was playing with his penis and asked her sexualised questions, including about whether or not she had digitally penetrated herself before.

However, Rossi later discovered that he was actually talking to an undercover officer from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit – when police arrived at his door with a warrant on October 2021. His partner, stepchildren and grandchildren resided at the address with him.

The defendant, of Ruxley Close, Royal Wootton Bassett, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child back in June when the case first came to court.

“This is a man whose behaviour is very, very out of character with what appears to be his usual self”, defence barrister Christopher Pix said.

In pre-conference ahead of sentencing, Rossi said “I want to say sorry, I don’t know who to say it to, I am just very, very sorry”, according to Mr Pix.

He said his client has a “great deal of remorse” and was having a “breakdown” at the time of the offending due to the ending of an abusive marriage and his highly stressful job.

Judge Barnett imposed a 12-month prison sentence – but suspended it for 18 months so that Rossi can get the help he “badly needs”.

He said that his personal life issues were “no excuse” to commit this crime, stating the he was “trying to get images from a person you thought was a child” – adding that it was “plainly deliberate”.

The judge told Rossi to complete 45 rehabilitation activity requirement days, 80 hours of unpaid work in the community and imposed a decade-long sexual harm prevention order. He’ll also have to register has a sex offender for ten years.