A South Lincolnshire man who was caught by two undercover police officers posing as paedophiles was on Tuesday jailed for two years and nine months.
Peter Worthington, 63, became involved in conversations with the two officers after they entered a chatroom called “true nudist.”
Julia King, prosecuting, said the two officers were posing as a father and son, with the boy said to be aged just 11-years-old, and became engaged in sexual conversations with Worthington.
Lincoln Crown Court heard the conversations became intimate and progressed to two Skype meetings on 11 and 14 June, 2019.
Worthington was arrested at his home on 23 July, 2019, and interviewed the same day after his electronic devices were seized.
During interview Worthington admitted he was the person in the conversations but said it was “banter,” and thought he was talking to a machine not a real person.
Worthington, of First Drove, Gosberton Clough, pleaded guilty to five offences including attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child aged under-13 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to incite sexual activity in the presence of a child and attempting to incite sexual activity with a child.
The court heard Worthington had no previous convictions or cautions.
Anna Soubry, mitigating, said Worthington led an isolated life and had removed himself from social media.
“This is an offence that involved two undercover police officers going about their proper business,” Miss Soubry told the court.
“This man takes the bait that is put there, and worse than that, he chooses to escalate them.
“They are very serious and he appreciates that.”
Miss Soubry told the court nothing else was found on Mr Worthington’s devices and described the offences as a “one-off” moment of madness.
“There has been no previous interest in children,” Miss Soubry added.
“He tells me he is full of remorse and ashamed.
“He knows he is going to prison and says his life is over.”
Passing sentence Recorder James House KC said an immediate prison sentence was necessary.
“Had these offences involved a real 11-year-old they would be of the upmost gravity,” Recorder House said. “That is why they were so serious.
“Fortunately it was a police officer at the other end of the communication.”
Worthington was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.
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!