Richard Clark, a 39-year-old man from Wingate, County Durham, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for attempting to communicate sexually with what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Clark has a previous conviction for sexual activity with a child. In 2016, he received a four-year prison sentence and an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after being found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl he met online.

Just two months after his SHPO expired in May 2024, Clark used an alias to contact what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl on social media. This profile was actually a decoy set up by an online vigilante group.

Clark engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the decoy, complimenting her appearance and asking inappropriate questions. He also requested to switch to WhatsApp so he could see more of her and gave his own phone number.

The details of the conversation were reported to the police by the vigilante group, leading to Clark's arrest. Initially denying any wrongdoing, Clark eventually changed his plea to guilty before trial.

Judge Nathan Adams acknowledged Clark’s previous offense and the serious nature of his latest actions, stating that "the risk of harm would have been significant" had the decoy profile been a real child. The judge imposed a 12-month prison sentence and a new ten-year SHPO.

Clark was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.