ONLINE PERVERT GIVEN 'ONE-OFF DEAL' AFTER TELLING POLICE: 'YEAH, I'LL HOLD MY HANDS UP TO IT'
An online pervert exchanged highly sexualised messages with a decoy 13-year-old girl and, when she told him that she was at school, he joked: "I hope you have this app on silent lol." Gavin Hillerby sent an explicit video of himself to the girl for "sexual titillation" but he got a nasty shock when he suddenly discovered that the teenager was really an undercover police officer, Hull Crown Court heard.Hillerby, 53, of The Willows, Hornsea, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity, three offences of making indecent images of children and others of possessing prohibited images and possessing extreme pornographic images, between June 6 and 16, 2023.
Police set up a profile of a decoy 13-year-old girl and Hillerby began communicating with her.
He asked for pictures of her, about her underwear, and requested to see her in swimming costumes.
He later sent topless pictures of himself, images of himself in underwear, and an explicit video.
Hillerby was identified through online account info, including his date of birth and IP address.
He was arrested on October 14, 2023, and told police: "Yeah, I'll hold my hands up to it.
I have been talking to someone online." Police found multiple indecent images, including Category A, B, C, and prohibited images.
He also used search terms like "kiddie".
During interview, Hillerby fully admitted sending messages for "sexual titillation" and expressed remorse.
He has no previous convictions.
He faced a two-year suspended prison sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work, 10 days' rehabilitation, and a sex offender treatment program.
He was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.
Judge Alexander Menary warned him of possible jail if he breaches the order, referring to it as a "one-off deal." He lost his job due to the offending but hopes to return to factory work.
Hillerby regrets his actions and seeks support.
