Caught sending 'disgusting' sexual messages and pictures to decoy girls.

Man Jailed for Sexting Decoy Girls After "Moment of Madness"

A Hull man has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for attempting to engage in sexual communication with three decoy girls, one of whom was set up by police. Shane Gorman, 35, admitted to sending explicit messages and pictures to the decoys, believing them to be real children.

The court heard that Gorman was initially confronted by paedophile hunters in 2021 after they discovered his online activity. Despite being warned, he continued his behavior and was caught again by a police decoy in 2022.

During his initial encounter with the paedophile hunters, Gorman claimed his actions were a "moment of madness" due to boredom at work. He denied any sexual interest in children and expressed remorse. However, he went on to repeat his offenses with a third decoy.

Judge Richard Woolfall stated that Gorman's actions were "clearly sexually motivated" and that his repeated offenses warranted an immediate custodial sentence. He emphasized the seriousness of the crimes and the fact that Gorman had knowingly engaged in inappropriate behavior despite being warned.

In addition to the prison sentence, Gorman was given an eight-year sexual harm prevention order and required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.