WIRRAL PAEDOPHILE SENTENCED AFTER BEING CAUGHT OUT BY 'DECOY' GIRLS
A WIRRAL man has appeared in court for sentencing after he was snared online by a paedophile hunter group.Michael Vile, 59, was caught inciting "inappropriate conversations" with fictious minors set up by the group who reported their findings to police.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that on November 20, 2022, officers attended Vile's home address after reports from the group.
Officers searched his address and recovered a number of devices with indecent images of children found to be on a mobile phone.
These included two Category C images: a topless picture of a girl aged 10-15 years old posing in front of a mirror, and one featuring boys and girls aged between five and 10 years old naked by a swimming pool.
Vile, of Trafalgar Road, Egremont, later admitted 26 offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, with the offences carried out while living at an address in Birkenhead throughout July 2021 and January 2023.
During some conversations, Vile asked 'girls' aged between 12 and 14 to send him pictures of themselves, telling one she was "cute" and saying they would meet when she was older.
The 'girls' were in fact "decoy profiles" set up by Secretly Tackling Online Predators (STOP) on social media.
John Weate, defending, said Vile, who has no previous convictions, "had demonstrated a willingness to engage in structured work to challenge his sexual offending".
He said: "He is a man of intelligence who has held down important positions in his lifetime and it's only through troubles with misusing alcohol and the breakdown of his mental health that has resulted in a situation where he found himself homeless.
"He is thoroughly ashamed of himself and he understands the significance of what he has done." Recorder Mark Cooper handed Vile, who pleaded guilty to the offences, a sentence of 24 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months.
He will have to undergo alcohol treatment for six months, partake in the Building Better Relationships programme for 26 days and 10 days of a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR).
The defendant is also required to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
