A paedophile sent 100 messages a day to Facebook accounts he thought were run by a young teen.
Paul Shaw thought he was speaking to a 13-year-old girl when he sent messages saying he would make her “feel tingles” if they met. But the 61-year-old grandad from Bootle was actually speaking to a vigilante who later confronted him and handed the messages to the police.
Matthew Dunford, prosecuting, said a member of the group No More Silent Voices had set up a Facebook profile posing as a 13-year-old and received a friend request from Shaw. She then began receiving increasing numbers of messages from him.
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Mr Dunford said: “Over the next couple of days the defendant began messaging the profile very regularly, building up to a hundred times a day.” Shaw’s messages became increasingly sexual.
At one point, he told her she might “feel tingles”, which he said was the feeling of love, if they met. He then encouraged her to have sex with him and also told her to perform a sex act, encouraging her to continue even though her messages said she wasn’t comfortable. Later, he encouraged her to delete the messages.
Shaw was caught after the woman and a number of other No More Silent Voices members went to Shaw’s Bootle home to confront him. Police were called and she handed over a “dossier” of messages to them. A search of his computer revealed he also had two indecent images of children, with one being the most serious Category A. Shaw initially denied inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Charles Lander, defending, said Shaw’s age and poor health meant the inevitable prison sentence he was about to serve would be difficult for him. He also said Shaw continued to have the support of his family, though none of them minimised the seriousness of what he had done.
Judge David Potter jailed Shaw, of Aylward Place, was jailed for 32 months.
