Anthony Allen, a 30-year-old man from Cae Daniel, Rhosllanerchrugog, Wrexham, Wales, was sentenced for attempting to meet a child he had been grooming online.

Allen's crimes took place in 2018 while residing in Whitchurch, Shropshire. He engaged in sexually explicit conversations with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl named "Ruby" on a social media app.

Members of the paedophile hunting group "Decoy Central" confronted Allen outside an Indian restaurant in Whitchurch, where he was expecting to meet the child. He pleaded guilty to four charges: attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence, and two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

The court heard that Allen initiated contact with a dormant profile for "Ruby" at 1.53am on August 7, 2018. Upon being informed she was 13 years old, Allen persisted in the conversation, requesting a picture and complimenting her appearance.