NORTH YORKSHIRE SEX OFFENDER, 60, FACES JAIL AFTER ATTEMPTS TO GROOM GIRL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
A sex offender who attempted to persuade an under-age girl to behave sexually is facing a prison sentence.Paul Kilbride, now aged 60, posed as a 15-year-old on social media using two apps to make sexual comments to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl, according to prosecutor Kathryn Walters.
He also sent two images, including a video of himself performing a sexual act, and made suggestions on how she could behave sexually alone and engage in sexual activity.
However, the individual he contacted was not a child but an adult acting as a decoy with social media accounts that appeared to be run by children.
Kilbride was arrested and pleaded guilty to attempting sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity, and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.
Magistrates initially considered a maximum sentence of one year, but the prosecution argued for a starting point of three years in jail, considering national guidelines.
The case was sent to York Crown Court, where Kilbride will appear for sentencing on May 21.
He was released on bail with conditions not to have unsupervised contact with children under 18 and not to sleep in any property where a child under 18 was present.
He has no previous convictions.
His solicitor indicated mitigation, stating he had not committed further offenses, and hinted at further details to be presented at sentencing.
