Doncaster pervert who groomed decoy “girls” on bail: “This is the second time. I should have stopped.”

A Doncaster pervert continued to groom underage decoy "girls" in online chat rooms while on bail for the same offences, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
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Ryan Connolly made "explicit sexualised comments" and sent a graphic image to what he thought was a 12-year-old “girl", in June 2019, said prosecutor Richard Sheldon.

He was arrested and released on bail before committing similar offences with a 14-year-old decoy.

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He arranged to meet her at Robin Hood Airport, where he was confronted by police and the so-called paedophile hunters who set the online profiles up, in November 2019.

Sheffield Crown Court.Sheffield Crown Court.
Sheffield Crown Court.

Connolly told a custody sergeant at the police station: "This is the second time. I should have stopped."

He was on bail for the second time when he contacted an third underage profile in November 2019, and a fourth in June 2020, before he was arrested in August.

Connolly, 28, of Manor Farm Court, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to nine offences including attempted sexual communications with children, attempting to engage a child in sexual activity, and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, between April 2019 and June 2020.

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Joy Merriam, mitigating, said: "He used the same name on each occasion. In a sense he was bound to be detected."

She told the court a psychiatrist had assessed Connolly's mental age as nine years and seven months.

She said he is on the autism spectrum, with learning difficulties, and suffers from anxiety and depression.

"He knows what he did was wrong and doesn't want to do it again," Ms Merriam said, urging the judge to take the "exceptional course" not to jail him.

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Judge Sarah Wright told him: "Keep away from chat rooms and people you do not know on social media. And, most importantly, keep away from contact with children.

"If you do not you will be brought back to court and I will send you to prison for a very long time indeed."

She imposed a three-year community order, with 35 sessions on a programme for sexual offenders and up to 60 rehabilitation days.

A ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also made, and Connolly was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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