A man was caught in a sting set up by a group of paedophile hunters after contacting what he believed to be 12-year-old girls over the internet, Lincoln Crown Court was told.
Jack Payne initially made contact with the girls via an app not realising that “Katie” and “Madison” were actually adults who had set up decoy accounts aimed at trapping paedophiles.
Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said that Payne used his real name and told the “girls” he was 20. When he was told the girls were only 12-years-old he was not put off and continued to chat with them and ask for photos.
Payne asked one of them if she would be his girlfriend but she told him she was too young.
Miss Rose told the court: “His response to that was to tell her that she was not too young and that a 12-year-old could have a 20-year-old boyfriend.”
Payne went on to ask the girls whether they would have sex with him and requested “sexy photos”.
He discussed having sex with them and also sent photos of his penis.
Miss Rose said: “The defendant had provided an image of himself and his phone number. The paedophile hunters were able to track him down and attended at his address.
“This was live-streamed. The police then attended the defendant’s address.”
When officers spoke to Payne at his home he confessed to having sex chats with 12-year-old girls.
Payne, 20, of Algitha Road, Skegness, admitted two charges of attempting to have sexual communication with a child and three charges of attempting to cause or incite a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity. The offences took place in July this year
He was jailed for two years and given a 10 year sexual harm prevention order. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
David Eager, in mitigation, said Payne has learning difficulties and suffers from a number of conditions including autism but had not been taking his medication.
Mr Eager said: “This is a young man who has personality and educational difficulties.
“The victims were fictional. It was an organisation setting out to entrap and target individuals.
“However the defendant has only himself to blame for getting caught in that net.”
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!