PAEDOPHILE FANTASISED ABOUT ABDUCTING UNDERAGE GIRL
Gordon Walbridge, aged 56 from Newport, admitted to fantasising about kidnapping a young girl from the street during an online chat in which he discussed sexual abuse of children.Prosecutor Abigail Jackson informed Cardiff Crown Court that Walbridge spoke openly about his attractions to girls as young as eight and expressed willingness to take a teenager off the street for sexual purposes.
Walbridge, a repeat sex offender with a history of imprisonment starting in 2017, was under a sexual harm prevention order issued nine years ago to monitor his internet activity and protect children.
Miss Jackson revealed that Walbridge violated this order by creating fake Facebook profiles and deleting his online activity history.
Police found him in possession of severe child abuse images on his phone, including 16 Category A images, one Category B, and six Category C.
Walbridge, from Lansdowne Road, pleaded guilty to these offenses along with five counts of breaching the sexual harm prevention order.
His offending period extended from September last year to March this year.
The court learned Walbridge's initial sexual harm prevention order followed a 2017 conviction at Reading Crown Court, where he received a year in prison for distributing indecent images of children.
He later served 30 weeks in 2019 for breaching this order and 26 months for arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, also in 2019.
His most recent breach led to a January 2024 prison sentence.
Representing Walbridge in mitigation, solicitor Sol Hartley highlighted his client’s mental health issues.
Judge Hywel James sentenced Walbridge to 32 months’ imprisonment, emphasising the seriousness of his discussions about abusing girls and his previous convictions.
The court mandated he register as a sex offender for life, and his ongoing sexual harm prevention order remains active.
