VIGILANTES SNARE CHILD SEX OFFENDER AFTER YEAR-LONG STING
A sex offender who thought he was communicating online with a girl of 13 was snared by vigilantes.The "girl" was really a decoy from a group who traced David Griffiths and livestreamed their confrontation.
The 76-year-old, of Lyons Caravan Park, Ruthin, contacted the decoy for about a year.
He was jailed today for nine months for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between January 31, 2023 and January 1, 2024.
Prosecutor Emmalyne Downing told Mold Crown Court that Griffiths' offences came to light through the work of a vigilante group called Innocent Voices which aims to stop child predators.
You can sign up for all the latest court stories here The group created an online profile in the name of a decoy called "Megan Morley, 13".
Griffiths contacted the profile using his own one which he called "Penny Price".
He sent "Megan" messages.
In February 2023 the woman behind the decoy told Griffiths she was "13".
Griffiths told her she looked (from the decoy's profile picture) "so mature" and "good looking".
The defendant sent selfies of himself and talked about cross-dressing.
Later that month he sent a photo of himself in his underwear to her.
Griffiths also edited photos of himself with the Megan Morley profile photo to make it seem like they were together, the court heard.
Messages became more sexual.
In September 2023 Griffiths messaged the decoy to say he wanted to talk about sex and sent the decoy a picture of himself wearing a basque.
In the December that year Griffiths sent the decoy a photo of himself wearing a basque with his private parts visible.
The decoy took a screenshot before it was deleted.
Their messages moved onto WhatsApp.
In one he sent her a meme of a sex toy.
In another he discussed sex scenes from TV's Silent Witness.
Then in December 2023 Griffiths sent the decoy two intimate videoes.
He had another image of Megan Morley with large breasts which appeared to have been made using AI, said the prosecutor.
Oliver King, defending, stressed that it was a decoy not a real girl.
He said the defendant feels "shame and embarrassment".
Referring to his "attitude" in a pre-sentence report he said: "No-one readily admits...to having a sexual interest in children, and perhaps more so for a man of Mr Griffiths' generation." He said by pleading guilty he has taken the first step towards taking responsibility for his offences.
Mr King added: "The majority of the chat is non-sexual in nature." Mr King said Griffiths was still coming to terms with the death of his mother in 2016.
He said: "These are relatively recent transgressions against a background of grief and difficulties in his own relationship." He also said: "His apprehension by the vigilante group was livestreamed." He and his wife have "already paid a heavy price".
He received threats and the couple had to give up their home of 20 years and live in a caravan.
The judge, His Honour Timothy Petts, said the fact the offending was over about a year gives him "severe concern".
Griffiths had been "dismissive and deflective" in his pre-sentence report interview.
But he added: "It's really difficult to see why, so late in life, you have gone down this path." Griffiths was given a nine-month concurrent jail term for attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch a sexual act on December 31, 2023.
There was no further penalty for making an incident image in category C.
The defendant will be subject to sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order both for ten years.
