Sleaford pensioner admitted setting up fake Facebook profile and having sexual chats with adult paedophile hunter
A Lincolnshire pensioner who admitted having sexual chats with an adult paedophile hunter who was pretending to be an under-age girl was given a suspended jail sentence.
David Drowley, 69, of Pine Close, Sleaford, set up a fake Facebook profile and lied about his age during the conversations in which he talked about pornography and requested images.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Drowley also incited the decoy teenager to watch sexual videos and to touch herself externally.
Drowley was caught after he sent messages to the adult woman who was acting as a decoy for an online paedophile hunting group, the court was told.
During the first message, which was sent on March 24 last year, Drowley used a fake name and gave his age as 36. The decoy gave her age as 14.
Police found 10 indecent images of children on devices seized from Drowley - with four in the most serious category of A and six in category B.
Drowley, who had no previous convictions, admitted his conduct during two police interviews.
He pleaded guilty to five offences including attempted sexual communication with a child, two charges of attempting to facilitate a child sex offence and two charges of making indecent images of children.
All the offences took place in March and April last year.
Neil Sands, mitigating for Drowley, said all of the offending took place in a period of around four weeks and urged the court to pass a suspended sentence.
"I do accept on his behalf this crosses the custody threshold, the issue is if that can be suspended," Mr Sands acknowledged.
"The defendant can be given full credit, not only because he made admissions in interview but because he entered guilty pleas at the first opportunity.
"There is regret and remorse."
Mr Sands said Drowley had no previous convictions and had returned to his previous law abiding life.
The court heard Drowley had also referred himself to two different organisations to help his rehabilitation.
"There is a determination on his behalf to address his behaviour," Mr Sands explained.
Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst said the fact there was not a real victim did not reduce Drowley's culpability.
Judge Hirst told Drowley: "The communication was every two or three days for those four weeks."
"There was significant planning, you had a false profile, a fake age, and there was a significant disparity in age," Judge Hirst added.
But Judge Hirst told Drowley the fact he had sought help himself was a powerful factor in the case and it was plain others would be seriously impacted if he was jailed.
Judge Hirst said this allowed him to pass a suspended sentence but he warned Drowley: "If you breach this order then you will be back before me and I will lock you up.
"You get one chance, and one chance only."
Drowley was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years. He must also complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and pay £150 costs.
He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.