WILPSHIRE MAN JAILED FOR SOLICITING UNDERAGE GIRLS ONLINE
Neil Pickup, a 40-year-old man from Parsonage Road, Wilpshire, was sentenced to 12 months in jail after engaging in a sexual communication with what he believed were schoolgirls in a chat online.He believed he was talking to two minors, 'Emily' and 'Elle', who were actually decoy accounts created by paedophile hunting groups.
Pickup exchanged messages with them from January 4, meeting one on a website, and quickly started communicating on WhatsApp.
Despite being told the profiles were of girls aged 12 and 13, he engaged in sexual conversations, asking if they knew about role play or sexting.
He also asked ‘Emily’ to send a picture of herself in her school uniform and urged ‘Elle’ to make 'sucking and moaning noises' during video chats.
On January 27, Pickup sent four videos of himself with an exposed penis, which were later confirmed as filmed in his home.
The judge described Pickup's actions as deliberately targeting schoolgirls for sexual gratification, even after being informed they were minors.
Pickup pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual conversation and making a child view sexual images.
He was also ordered to comply with sexual offence notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.
