A “paedophile hunter sting” caught a 43-year-old man attempting to purchase a bikini for a child and arrange a trip to the swimming baths.
Alexander Park, of Old Chester Road, Tranmere, was targeted by a paedophile hunter group posing as decoy 13-year-old named Holly Bainbridge. Running the decoy account, the group, called STOP, received messages from Park including desires to be “washed” by the 13-year-old and to “touch her bottom”.
Prosecutor, Ben Berkson, told the court that Park shared up to 20 image images with the decoy account, one of which was naked but not explicit. Park shared thousands of messages with the account, which sent stock photo images in return.
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Mr Berkson said that Park planned to meet the decoy 13-year-old girl in Birkenhead on two separate occasions in January. The first involved a meeting at Birkenhead Park, but Park did not go through with the meeting.
A second meeting was arranged with Park planning to meet the fictional Ms Bainbridge at Conway Park train station before heading to Europa Pools swimming baths. The court heard Park’s desires to “hold hands” with the decoy and “touch her on the bottom”.
The court heard how Park's desire to “hold her hand” and would make it look like “he was her carer”. Messages sent by Park stated how he “wanted to be washed by her while naked”, with Judge Eric Lamb observing that Park showed an “anxiety” for the decoy to "expose her genitalia” in messages.
After his arrest in March this year, police uncovered internet search history relating to Europa Pools Swimming baths, a Next bikini for the young girl and student bus passes. Park did not arrive for the proposed meet up and denied he was planning to take her swimming as he knew that he was getting set up, the court heard. Park later blocked the decoy’s number after the second proposed meeting.
Defending, Brendan Carville said Park “was under the influence of alcohol when he tried to arrange the meeting” and suffered from mental health problems. He added that this “was a very sad case of a very sad individual”, noting how he was “lonely” which “led him to this behaviour”
Mr Carville said Park suffered from depression as well as other problems and was a man of “poor health and mobility.” He raised that Park was diagnosed with spina bifida and cerebral palsy.
Summarising the sentencing, Judge Eric Lamb said he would bear in Park’s “genuine remorse”. He said: “You fell into the trap of making undertones with what you believed to be a 13 year-old-girl.
“Your pursuit of her was incessant and persistent”, with reference to making calls to the decoy at 5am.
When the decoy referred to the disparity of age between herself and park, Judge Lamb remarked that Park said he was not “not bothered” by it being wrong. Park plead guilty to the sexual offence charges and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to two years and four months in prison.
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