A paedophile has been sentenced to two years in prison for attempting to communicate with and incite children into sexual activity online.

Richard Ayres, 58, of Cardiff, began speaking to undercover police officers posing as a 13-year-old girl (Abby) and a 12-year-old girl (Kirsty) on the Kik messenger app in March last year.

Ayres sent explicit messages to the decoys, including requests for photographs and offers to meet for sexual activity. He also lied about his age, claiming to be 45.

During the sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court, Prosecutor Eugene Egan stated that Ayres sent photographs of himself and made explicit comments about wanting to kiss Abby, engage in sexual activity, and rub sun lotion on her body. He also asked both girls for "sexy selfies" and sent messages suggesting he wanted to have sex with them.

Ayres was arrested at his home on June 28 and admitted to police that he had an addiction to Kik and described his actions as "disgusting and wrong".

In mitigation, defence barrister Andrew Kendal argued that Ayres had no intention of meeting the decoys and that the arrangements made for them to meet were "vague". He attributed Ayres' actions to loneliness and marital strain, stating that the defendant lived with his mother and worked at a Lidl supermarket.

Sentencing Ayres, Recorder John Philpotts said, "You have lost your good character in the most disgraceful way. You had conversations with people you believed to be two girls aged 12 and 13."

In addition to the prison sentence, Ayres was given a seven-year sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements.