Gosberton Clough man caught out by police officers posing as paedophiles

A man who was caught by two undercover police officers posing as paedophiles was today 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 July 23 2019, and interviewed the same day after his electrical 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.