LAUGHARNE MAN CAUGHT IN PAEDOPHILE HUNTER STING AFTER SEXUAL MESSAGES TO ‘CHILD’
A MAN from Laugharne who sent sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl has avoided an immediate jail term after being caught in a paedophile hunter sting.Swansea Crown Court heard that William John, 59, of Orchard Park, made contact with a Facebook profile in October 2021 which he believed belonged to a young teenage girl.
In fact, the account was a decoy run by a paedophile hunter group.
Prosecutor Matthew Murphy told the court the profile made clear the girl was 13 “from the outset”.
During their exchanges, the decoy discussed school life and told John she would be turning 14 in November.
Despite this, John went on to “cultivate an online relationship” with the account between October 11 and November 3, 2021.
The court heard the messages quickly became sexual.
John explained what masturbation was, asked whether he could show the child his genitals, requested photographs of her body and repeatedly told her he was aroused.
After sending the messages, John deleted them and asked the decoy to do the same.
However, screenshots of the conversations had already been captured by the group.
In one exchange, John admitted he knew what he was doing was wrong.
The group later used a second decoy account, posing as an adult woman, to arrange a meeting at the Travelodge in Carmarthen.
A local group confronted John at the hotel before police arrived and took possession of evidence, the court was told.
Officers seized John’s mobile phone and recovered the conversations.
When interviewed, John claimed he did not truly believe the girl was 13 and said he had been trying to expose whoever was behind the profile as “scammers”.
However, on the day his trial was due to begin, he changed his plea and admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.
The court heard he had no previous convictions.
Defence solicitor Ian Ibrahim said John’s guilty plea was among his strongest points in mitigation.
He told the court the defendant had not reoffended in the more than four years since the offence and was dealing with several physical health problems.
Mr Ibrahim also said John had been “humiliated” after the paedophile hunter group posted footage of the confrontation online, making him “the subject of ridicule” locally.
Sentencing, Judge Catherine Richards said it was conduct like this that made the internet a more dangerous place for children.
John was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
He must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.
