Steven Smith 52

Description

A SICK pervert thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl in a park, but instead he was detained by a paedophile hunting group run by Widnes residents.

Steven Smith was talking to a number of teenage ‘girls’, telling them he would like to kiss, cuddle, and date them, before he was caught by Widnes Parents Against Predators.

He even encouraged them to perform sex acts on themselves.

The 52-year-old dad appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a catalogue of child sex offences, including three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, possessing indecent images of children and making indecent images of children.

Prosecuting, Shannon Stewart said how Smith’s offending came to light in May of last year when officers were notified by members of Widnes Parents Against Predators that they had detained a man who had arranged to meet who he thought was 14-year-old girl at a park in Cronton.

Smith, of Rylands Drive, Orford, was arrested and when officers seized his devices, they discovered he had been talking to a number of young ‘girls’ online.

Ms Stewart said how one of girls was called Imogen but officers have not been able to identify if she was a real child or a decoy.

Liverpool Crown Court was told how Imogen told the defendant that she was 14 and despite this, he turned the nature of the conversation sexual.

He asked for pictures of Imogen and encouraged her to perform sex acts on herself.

Smith told her that he wanted to watch TV, eat curry, and snuggle with her.

He asked her if she would like to kiss him and said that this would be ‘special’ and ‘feel electric’.

The court heard how Smith told Imogen that he may have got her a gift for her 15th birthday because he ‘liked her’.

This communication lasted from April 2022 to December 2022 and only stopped when Imogen stopped responding.

Another 14-year-old ‘girl’ who Smith believed he was talking to was called Molly, but this was actually a decoy account operated by Widnes Parents Against Predators.

Smith first contacted Molly in April 2023. She told him she was 14 and he said that was fine before calling her stunning and asking her to send a picture of herself.

The paedophile asked Molly about meeting up and suggested they should go for a walk and kiss and cuddle.

He said that although she was too young for sex, he would like to caress her and run his hands over her body.

Ms Stewart said how Smith also encouraged Molly to perform sex ats on herself.

In May 2023, Smith told Molly that he was working in St Helens and that he could come and meet her, so the pair arranged to meet at a park in Cronton.

But here, Smith was met by the paedophile hunting group and was detained.

From March 2023 to May 2023, Smith was talking to another decoy account which was posing as a 14-year-old girl called Megan.

Megan told Smith her age and said she was in school.

Smith sexualised the conversation and said he would like to have a curry with Megan and get a kiss from her for his birthday.

He said they could go on a date to McDonald’s and asked if he met her would she wear a skirt.

Smith asked Megan to send a picture of her bed and when she did he said it was big and that there would be room in it for kisses and cuddles.

He also sent voice notes, in one he said they could go for a walk in a park and that he would kiss her and grab her bottom.

Smith has no previous convictions.

Defending, Jim Smith said how his client has a ‘high level of regret’ for the commission of the offences.

He said that since his arrest, Smith has carried out extensive work to rehabilitate himself including self referring himself for psychological therapy and attending sex addicts anonymous – where he has now become a sponsor.

Mr Smith said how the defendant suffers from anxiety and depression and that he has lost his marriage, career, and home since he committed the offences.

Judge David Potter handed Smith three years and four months behind bars.

He also issued him with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders register.