Andrew Lloyd 39

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A FLINTSHIRE man has been locked up after 'reverting to his old ways' and attempting to exchange sexual messages with someone he believed to be a child.

Andrew Lloyd, of Chester Road in Northop Hall, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Tuesday morning.

The 39-year-old had previously admitted an offence of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child under 16, which took place over a period of around two weeks in October and November this year.

Karl Scholz, prosecuting, told the court the offence also put Lloyd in breach of a ten year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in two ways - his attempted communication with a child and his use of social networking sites without notifying police beforehand.

Lloyd made contact with a profile online which had a photo of a young girl.

Within half an hour of the 'girl' telling him she was 12 years of age, Lloyd had sent her a photo of his exposed genitals.

Fortunately, the account was a decoy under the control of a group working to identify sexual predators online.

The chat moved onto Whatsapp, where he repeatedly spoke about his genitals and asked for photos of the girl.

The vigilante group attended the address where Lloyd was staying - after he'd revealed his location in the chats - and he was arrested shortly after.

Mr Scholz told the court the defendant received a custodial sentence of two years in September 2021 for similar offences, which is when his ten year SHPO was imposed.

In interview, Lloyd accepted he was the person in the chat and apologised for his actions.

He claimed he had been "working well with probation" following his 2021 offences, but that he'd returned to using drugs and experienced a decline in his mental health following issues at his accommodation.

Elen Owen, defending told the court: "Mr Lloyd doesn't want me to make any excuses.

"He had initially been working with probation and was receiving a great deal of support, but unfortunately he was put in a bedsit with someone who made threats on his life in prison.

"That made his life extremely difficult and he was very frightened - leading to his reverting back to his old ways of taking cocaine.

"Under the totally disinhibiting effect of the drug, he went back to behaving in this manner.

"He hopes whilst in prison to access help with substance abuse."

Judge Niclas Parry told Lloyd: "Within half an hour of finding out, as you believed, you were talking to a 12-year-old girl you were sending an image of your genitalia.

"Hundreds of messages followed and you encouraged her to send sexual images to you.

"Mercifully, there was no child."

Judge Parry jailed the defendant for two-and-a-half years and extended his SHPO, as well as his requirements under the notification provisions, to last indefinitely.

"That is hanging over you forever," he added.