ONLINE GROOMER REMANDED AFTER DECOY WORKS
A man from County Antrim was remanded into custody after being accused of attempting to engage in an online sexual conversation with what he believed was a minor, with the encounter carried out via a decoy by a paedophile hunter group.William Sempey, age 46 from Staffa Drive in Ballymena, appeared in Coleraine Magistrates Court on a charge of attempted sexual communication with a child under 16.
The prosecution alleges that on July 9, Sempey sought to send sexual messages to someone he thought was a girl under 16, with the intention of sexual gratification and without reasonable belief that she was over that age.
During the bail hearing, police revealed they had responded after reports of a group accusing Sempey of being a paedophile, with the incident apparently live-streamed.
Officers found a crowd outside his property when they arrived and spoke with the leader of the paedophile hunting group, who identified himself as the founder of COPE.
The group claimed that their decoy profile, posing as a 14-year-old girl, was being targeted by Sempey through sexual images and messages.
While police had not seen the actual messages, they confirmed viewing screenshots of the exchanges.
Sempey's prior arrest in 2018 for similar offences was mentioned, although it resulted in no prosecution.
The court noted concerns for Sempey's safety and mental health if he returned to Ballymena.
His solicitor explained that Sempey is considered vulnerable and cannot go back to his family home.
The defence argued that, since no actual child was involved and Sempey has no convictions, bail should be possible if an approved residence outside Ballymena was provided.
The judge, District Judge Peter King, stated he was unaware there was no girl involved in the case and that, because no bail address was available, bail could not be granted.
He added that the severity of the charges meant the address issue would not be handed over to police.
Sempey was therefore remanded in custody until 4 September, with the possibility of bail being reconsidered if a suitable address outside Ballymena was secured before that date.
