A South Yorkshire pervert was trapped online by a police decoy posing as a 12-year-old girl

George Smith, aged 64, of Goodison Boulevard, Bessacarr, Doncaster, struck-up a sexual conversion with an online contact who was in fact a police decoy claiming to be a 12-year-old girl, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.

Prosecuting barrister Louise Reevell told the hearing on April 12 that police set up the online decoy profile on the messaging platform Lycos for over-16s but after the defendant engaged in a conversation the decoy repeatedly claimed to be a 12-year-old girl.

Ms Reevell added that Smith told the decoy he was horny and could not stop masturbating because of the heat and he claimed he was aged 20 and he asked the decoy what she was wearing.

Smith told the decoy he was naked, according to Ms Reevell, and he talked about the decoy’s private parts and instructed her to touch herself and he talked about his genitals.

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told Smith: “It was comprehensibly inappropriate for any individual to be making references of the kind you made.”

The defendant told police he had not believed the decoy was 12-years-old and he claimed he had gone on the social media platform to chat with women.

Smith, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child after the incident during the summer of 2018.

Richard Davies, defending, said: “Mr Smith is ashamed of himself. He knows what he did was very serious and extremely stupid at the time.”

Mr Davies added that Smith’s life at the time had been difficult and he had alcohol issues and he has expressed remorse and regret about what happened.

Judge Richardson told Smith his behaviour was shameful and he sentenced him to ten months of custody suspended for two years with a 60-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Smith was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

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