A 60-year-old man, identified as Groenewood, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for attempting to meet a child following grooming.

Groenewood, who resided in Middlesbrough, had been communicating online with what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl named "Scarlett." However, the account was actually a decoy set up by a pedophile-hunting group.

During their online exchanges, Groenewood made disturbing comments, referring to the supposed girl as his "daddy" and expressing a desire to take a bath with her and wash her. He also revealed that he had carried a BB gun and handcuffs with him, claiming the gun was for vermin control and the handcuffs were for safety.

When confronted by police, Groenewood admitted to being "a little bit" sexually attracted to children. He also engaged in similar conversations with another decoy account, named "Holly," who was supposedly 13 years old.

In addition to his prison sentence, Groenewood was placed on a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must comply with sex offender police notifications for the same period.