MALVERN MAN ADMITS SEX CHAT WITH 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN PAEDOPHILE STING
A MAN has admitted trying to engage in sex chats with a girl he believed was 13 years old.Magistrates heard Robert Norman had been charged by police after an online paedophile hunter sting exposed his crime.
The 41-year-old admitted an attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child, when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday, (November 10).
Mark Hambling, prosecuting, said the 41-year-old's charge contained the details of the case.
The charge said: "Between April 30 and May 14 (this year), for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, (Norman) intentionally attempted to communicate with Stephanie, a person under 16 who you did not reasonably believe to be 16 or over, the communication being sexual - namely discussed her nipples and asked for photographs of them and her underwear." The prosecutor said Norman thought he has been speaking to an underage teenager but she was a decoy and did not exist.
Stephanie had in fact been a member of the paedophile hunting group playing the role, who passed the evidence to police.
The prosecutor added the sentencing guidelines could see Norman receive a sentence of up to a year in prison.
Mark Sheward, defending, said Norman, of Mulberry Drive, Malvern, was a man of previous good character with no convictions, making a request for a pre-sentence report.
The chairman of the bench, Richard Poppleton, told Norman: "You have pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
There will be a report, the probation service will get in touch and interview you." Norman was told to return to the court for sentencing on December 2.
Norman was given conditional bail and told he must not make any unsupervised contact with any minor.
Mr Poppleton also told Norman he must sign the sex offenders' register.
