Michael Cook 48

Description

An online pervert who turned up to meet a schoolgirl for sex was greeted by police after being snared in an undercover operation.

Michael Cook made contact with a profile on social media purporting to be a 14-year-old girl, which was being run by a law enforcement officer. From the outset, he was told of the "girl's" young age and he began with some general conversation before turning the chat sexual.

After establishing she lived in a "bad area" he asked "so does that makes you a bad girl or are you a goody two shoes". The 48-year-old said she probably didn't know anything about sex and was told she was "not a baby".

Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court Cook asked if she had any sexual experience and when told that the "boys at school were annoying" he asked if she "liked older". He also asked if she liked masturbating and "being naughty".

Mr Wardlaw said: "He asked if she wore cheap leggings which clung to her legs as they showed everything. He also asked about thongs."

He also quizzed her about a previous boyfriend and was told she had not had sex with him. Mr Wardlaw said: "He said he liked her and would like to meet her and have fun.

"He said he was working in an office in Durham and was bored. He suggested they meet up and have fun."

He made a reference to her getting her hands on his gear stick. Mr Wardlaw said: "He was clearly sounding out the profile to see if she was interested in sexual activity."

Cook went on to ask if she wanted to lose her virginity. Mr Wardlaw said: "He varied topics between everyday activities and sexual chat before arranging to meet her at Kingston Park retail park."

He made other sex references and said he would bring condoms. On November 25 2021, police went to the arranged meeting place and arrested him in his car and he replied: "She said she was 16." A search of his car revealed condoms in he driver's door pocket.

Cook, of Arcadia, Ouston, County Durham, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to attempting to to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. He was sentenced to 18 months suspended for two years with 200 hour unpaid work. He was also made subject to sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Recorder Richard Wright KC said: "What underlies this offence is a deviant sexual attitude held by you which, had this been a real child, you may well have seen through to a conclusion.

"You went online and befriended what you thought was a 14-year-old girl. You sexualised the communications between you. This was grooming behaviour and it was quite deliberate.

"You turned innocent conversations into sexual conversation and you arranged to meet what you thought was a child to have sex with her. As far as you were concerned, you were engaging in this conversation with a young and vulnerable female."

Andrew Walker, defending, said: "The messages speak for themselves, they are awful to read but if he was intent on meeting a child in a chatroom he was in the wrong place." He said that it was a mainstream chatroom where users were supposed to be over 16.

Mr Walker added: "He was under multiple life and work stresses at the time. It happened not long after he lost both parents and he had bereavement issues. There were stress-related work issues and he felt isolated during covid."

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Ian Beecroft from Northumbria Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team said: “Our work to protect the vulnerable from predators both online and in the community is a top priority for the Force and we make no apologies for our continued activity in this area.

“Our investigation caught Cook sending messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, and he had no issues with that. He was even prepared to meet up with her knowing she was underage.

“We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of this type of abuse to come forward and speak to us. We take these types of reports incredibly seriously and you will be supported.”