James Cornelly, aged 62, engaged in online sexual communication with a decoy profile pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.
The group monitoring him reported his contact to his employer, which led to police intervention.
Prosecutors revealed he had conversations involving sexual content, instructing the decoy on how to touch herself, sharing indecent images of himself and from the internet, and messages about sharing a room and making love.
During police interviews, Cornelly admitted to chatting with adults and sometimes sending semi-nude images, claiming he was chatting with a 28-year-old woman and not with a child.
He acknowledged responsibility for the chats, which he described as "pure fantasy" and cited health issues as a reason for his engagement.
Cornelly was arrested when police seized digital devices from his home.
The court heard he was responsible for sexual communication with a child, inciting her to engage in sexual acts, and sharing indecent images.
He was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for attempting sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite sexual activity with a minor.
Furthermore, he will be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Court Outcome
Conviction and Sentencing Details
Sentenced
Detected legal outcome
sponsible for sexual communication with a child, inciting her to engage in sexual acts, and sharing indecent images. He was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for attempting sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or i...
Prison sentence
30 months
He was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for attempting sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite sexual activity with a minor
Court order
Furthermore, he will be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order
