A laughing pervert instructed a '13-year-old girl' to practice kissing using apples and oranges.
Andrew Carter was also caught telling the supposed teen "age is just a number". But, unbeknown to him, the self-confessed "loner who doesn't get any attention from women" was actually being ensnared in a paedophile hunter sting.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Friday, that the 42-year-old first initiated contact with a decoy account run by Saving Our Children Online on the app Wink in September last year. David Birrell, prosecuting, described how, when told that he was communicating with a girl aged 13, Carter responded by saying that "age was just a number".
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He then continued to send a string of often daily sexualised messages over WhatsApp over the period of nearly a month. The defendant - of Poachers Lane in Latchford, Warrington - said in one exchange: "I might fall in love with you.
"I kind of secretly hope you will fall in love with me. We will keep it a secret until you're old enough to marry me."
Carter asked her "are you naked" and told her he wanted to meet up with her at Warrington Bank Quay Station, saying he would give her money and adding "I could teach you a few things". He also instructed her to perform vile sex acts on herself and requested pictures of her in her underwear and a video of her naked, as well as sending photographs of his penis.
The sex offender told her to practice kissing with apples and oranges before being traced by members of the group, who livestreamed a confrontation with him on social media on October 22 then called the police. Under interview, Carter described himself to detectives as a "loner who didn't get any attention from women".
He confessed that he "knew it was illegal" but denied having wanted to sexually abuse the child during his planned meetup. Simeon Evans, defending, told the court that his "remorseful" client suffers from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and added: "It seems the gravity of this has hit home and he understands how wrong it was.
"This is a man who has no previous convictions, despite a bad start in life. He leads perhaps a rather sad, lonely and pathetic life, but he has not committed any offences until now."
Carter admitted arranging a child sex offence, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting sexual communications with a child. He laughed before leaning forward and resting his head on the front of the dock after he was jailed for 33 months.
Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said: "Your intention was clear, and it involved you inciting serious sexual activity with you receiving sexual gratification by it. You knew that what you were doing was wrong.
"This court has concerns, given your reluctance to accept that you have a sexual interest in children. I cannot conclude that, presently, there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation."
Carter was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.
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