Man tricked by “Paedo hunters” as he attempted to meet “13-year-old girl” receives suspended prison sentence

A 31-year-old Warrington man was tricked by a paedo hunting gang not just once – but twice as he attempted to meet up with a “13-year-old girl”.

Nathan Reid began conversing on line with a person whom he thought was a 13-year-old girl but was in fact a fake profile set up by a paedophile hunting group.

At one stage Reid asked “Whether she was a paedo hunter with a false decoy but she assured him she wasn’t” said Chris Taylor, prosecuting.

Their conversations became sexual and he discussed them meeting to go swimming with her wearing a bikini and said he would get “ a b…r” and would have to wear two pairs of shorts.
He spoke of them kissing using tongues and sent her photographs of revealing lingerie and asked if she would enjoy wearing it.

Mr Taylor said that Reid knew she was only 13 and spoke about waiting for her until she was 16. “At one point he said he wanted to do everything to her.
“The conversations moved to meeting up and asking if it would be ok for her to be away from home overnight and whether she was prepared to meet him a a hotel room.”
He spoke about meeting in Blackpool and her coming to Warrington and staying overnight and wearing a satin nightie, said Mr Taylor.
“They are arrangements for him to travel to see her for the purpose of sexual activity,” he said.

Members of the paedo hunting group went to his address on October 27, 2021 and police officers were called and he was arrested.
Reid, of Cresswell Close, Burtonwood and Westbrook, Warrington, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication and arranging the commission of a child sex offence. The offences took place between 20 August and October 27, 2021.

Simeon Evans, defending, told Liverpool Crown Court said that before entering his guilty pleas Reid had struggled with the idea that the arrangements were “anything more than fantasy.”
He said that the only sexual activity explicitly discussed was kissing with tongues.
Mr Evans told the court that Reid suffers from depression and is “more than likely on the autistic spectrum” and it was possible there was a link between that and the offences.
Sentencing him to 18 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months Judge Andrew Menary, KC said that there was a “degree of naivety” about Reid and having a near-diverse condition may have played a part in his behaviour.
“The conversations were not at all sophisticated and are consistent with someone who doe not have maturity or insight.”
He also ordered him to carry out 35 rehabilitation activity days and attend the Horizon sex offenders programme. Reid has to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed for the same length of time.