Pretending to be woman during sex chats with 'girl'.

A repeat offender previously jailed for child abduction in Warrington has been sentenced to another prison term for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Ronald Howard, 26, was previously incarcerated for six months in April 2020 after he was found to have plied a teenage girl with alcohol. The court had ordered him to "stay well away" from the girl. However, Howard reoffended in November 2020 by pretending to be a woman in sexualized online chats with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

He appeared before Liverpool Crown Court charged with attempted sexual communications with a child. Prosecutor Frank Dillon explained that Howard contacted a fake profile of "Milly," a 13-year-old girl, on the Rando Chat app. This profile had been created by an undercover police officer working to identify online child sex offenders.

Howard, posing as a 19-year-old woman, engaged in sexually explicit conversations with "Milly," sending her an image of a woman exposing her breasts. The conversation then moved to Snapchat, where Howard sent a picture he claimed was of "her boyfriend's penis" and encouraged the girl to send him pictures of herself.

Police identified Howard through his phone number, which was known to the probation service. He was arrested on December 22, 2020, and made limited comments during his interview.

The court heard about Howard's previous conviction for child abduction in April 2020. In January 2020, police had issued him with a child abduction warning notice after finding the same teenage girl in his flat on Silverdale Road in Newton-le-Willows. The girl, who was in care, had been reported missing from a care home in Warrington.

In March 2020, the girl was found with Howard on a dirt track. She was intoxicated and unsteady on her feet. Howard provided a false name and address, claiming to be from St Helens but homeless. He refused to explain how he knew the girl.

The girl later confirmed Howard's identity and stated that they had been to a Co-op together to buy alcohol and had kissed. However, she had no recollection of other events.

For the child abduction offense, Howard was sentenced to six months in prison and issued a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the girl or entering her street in Warrington for seven years. Judge Potter had specifically instructed him, "Stay well away from this child."

For the latest offense of attempted sexual communication with a child, Recorder Eric Lamb sentenced Howard to 15 months in prison. He was also required to register as a sex offender for 10 years and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration.