STEPHEN VINCENT

HARTLEPOOL MAN CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTING CHILD SEX MEETING

A pervert who attempted to meet a teenager for sex was caught when he was confronted by a team of online paedophile hunters.

The 58-year-old, Stephen Vincent of Grosvenor Gardens, Hartlepool, exchanged messages with a decoy, sending an image of his naked torso and genitals while requesting photographs of what was presumed to be a 13-year-old girl.

The court heard that Vincent engaged in conversations that turned sexual, despite the decoy informing him of her age.

He asked her for photographs of her in her underwear and sent a picture of himself showing his torso and genitals.

Vincent then asked to meet the girl for sex, despite her telling him she had never had sex or kissed a boy.

He was confronted by paedophile hunters before police arrested him on January 5, 2023.

Vincent pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming incidents between December 31, 2022, and January 1, 2023.

He was sentenced to two years in custody suspended for two years, with a requirement to attend 35 rehabilitation activity days.

Additionally, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years and to be subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

The judge warned Vincent to avoid any further offending and emphasized this sentence as a warning not to re-engage in such activities.