MAN SENT DECOY TEENAGE GIRL SEXUAL IMAGES AND MESSAGES
A man from Bangor, identified as Wayne Williams, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Mold Crown Court after admitting to attempting to communicate sexually with a child and trying to involve a minor in sexual activities.Williams, aged 34 and residing on Beach Road, believed he was engaging with a 13-year-old girl named Milly Spruce from Liverpool, but it was later revealed to be a deliberate decoy.
Prosecutor Dafydd Roberts explained that on December 10, 2023, a member of the Child Online Safety Team created a profile portraying Milly, which Williams contacted with a simple message of “hey”.
Milly responded with an introduction, stating she was 13 and from Liverpool, prompting Williams to express disappointment over their age difference, suggesting he might have pursued her if not for that.
Subsequently, Williams sent explicit images and a brief sex act video, and asked her to send nude pictures back.
He was arrested the following day and did not comment during police interviews.
Investigations on his electronic devices uncovered multiple internet searches related to child pornography on December 6.
It was also noted that Williams was on license after an earlier prison release when these offences took place.
Defence lawyer Richard Edwards highlighted that Williams, who has a significant criminal record of 78 offences across 41 convictions, was remorseful and unable to explain his conduct.
Edwards added that Williams, living above a pub, had been drinking heavily and had no memory of the incident until law enforcement knocked at his door the next morning.
He urged the court to view these actions as a brief deviation with no attempt to meet the decoy girl and emphasised that Williams had no prior convictions for similar offences.
Judge Niclas Parry sentenced Williams, citing his extensive criminal history, and ordered him to comply with lifelong sex offender registration and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The judge expressed concern about Williams’ mistaken belief in her age and the significant age gap, adding that fortunately there was no real child involved.
After sentencing, DC Jamie Atkinson commented that Williams had shown a pattern of immediate reoffending following prison release and that the situation’s outcome could have been far worse if the victim had been real.
