Sending sexual messages to what he thought was an 11-year-old girl.

Paedophile Jailed for Attempting to Incite Child

A 40-year-old paedophile who believed he was sending sexually explicit messages and pictures of himself to an 11-year-old girl has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Tony Martin Jon Small, of Devace House, Easington Village, was caught after he attempted to meet what he thought was an adult woman for sex. However, he was instead apprehended by police on March 28th.

Small had been communicating with what he believed was an 11-year-old girl on a social media app called Wink. In reality, he was speaking to a decoy set up by a vigilante group called Fighting for Innocents.

The court heard that Small's messages were highly sexualized and included grooming attempts. He asked the decoy about her clothing, told her she looked "sexy", and sent her shirtless pictures of himself. He also described sexual acts he wanted to perform and promised to "teach her about sex."

Small pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a female child to engage in sexual activity and breaching a sexual harm prevention order. He was sentenced on Wednesday at Durham Crown Court.

Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, highlighted the three-day period during which Small sent sexually explicit messages to the decoy. He placed Small on the sex offender's register for life and maintained his existing sexual harm prevention order.

The defense argued that no actual activity took place because the child was non-existent. They also pointed out that Small had begun a construction course while in custody.