JASON BAXTER AVOIDS JAIL AFTER DERBYSHIRE ONLINE GROOMING ATTEMPT

A man accused of attempting to groom a 14-year-old girl online has avoided prison despite being caught in a sting operation. Jason Baxter, aged 49, engaged in online conversations with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl and arranged to meet her in Derbyshire. Police arrested him after a paedophile hunter posed as a guardian during the encounter. Baxter was sentenced to a three-year community order and required to register as a sex offender for five years, along with a lifetime ban from working with children. He admitted to charges including attempting to meet a child for sexual purposes, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to encourage a child to watch a sexual act.