A pervert stumbled over his words and blamed alcohol after paedophile hunters confronted him with his sick chats to what he believed were underage girls.
Graeme Phillips, 41, looked stunned as volunteers with Stop UK, a vigilante paedophile hunting collective, performed the sting on behalf of another similar Welsh organisation called Dank Dragons Exposure.
Phillips had messaged two accounts on messaging app Meet4U despite believing they were 14-year-old girls and initiated sexual conversations, which included him sending pictures of his penis.
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The evidence collected by the group was handed over to Merseyside Police and Phillips, of Ivy Lane, Moreton, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage a child in sexual communication.
In the video, shared by the groups on Facebook, Phillips is surrounded by the group and does not attempt to escape. When asked about the chats, he agrees: "I probably have said something that's inappropriate".
However, he claimed he was not "trying to meet anyone or anything like that". The hunter responds: "So talk to me about the penis picture that you sent, do you want me to show you?"
Phillips says: "No it's alright, that was wrong I had a few". He admits he is embarrassed, prompting the hunter to ask: "How do you think a child would feel having being sent that?"
He replies: "I know, I know, I know it's wrong, I know completely I'm in the wrong I know I am. I can only apologise, but I understand. I was never trying to do anything or anything like that.
"I understand that it looks terrible, and it does look terrible. I've done it when I've had a few drinks in the evening or the afternoon or something and the conversation has escalated, that I was having, yeah it's wrong."
Towards the end of the confrontation, which is recorded as the group wait for the arrival of the police, Phillips begins to sob. The hunter asked: "Be truthful, you're crying because you're scared?. Phillips says: "I am."
The hunter says: "Good...The kids that you speak to; they probably cry all the time".
Phillips was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday. During that hearing, Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said: "The defendant told the decoy she was beautiful and stunning, he then sent a picture of himself naked from the waist up where he was sitting on the bed. He then told her 'I probably have bigger t*** than her', and told her he didn't care if she wore a bra or not."
Other vile comments including asking if he could "make her blush", talking about her breasts and telling her he had a "Big Mac in his shorts", referring to his penis. He also asked for a "naughty picture" and sent her a picture of his penis in a "semi-erect" state and asked if she thought "it was nice".
Mr Blasbery told the court Phillips also began making sexualised comments to another decoy, and told her he slept naked, and began asking about her breasts. Phillips also told the decoy "not to tell her mum".
Lionel Greig, defending, said his client had been living an "isolated" existence during lockdown, with his 71-year-old mum who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He also said his client had lost his dad in 2018.
Mr Greig urged the court to spare his client immediate custody, and order intervention to address his behaviour and prevent him from re-offending, rather than a prison sentence.
The judge, Recorder Mark Ainsworth, agreed to spare Phillips immediate custody, telling the pervert addressing his perverted behaviour in the long term would benefit society more than a prison sentence.
He said: "I have to make an assessment of the prospect of rehabilitation in this case, having read the pre-sentence report I do believe there is a good prospect of rehabilitation in this case and I have a duty to society."
Phillips was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, and told he must sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years. He was also ordered to complete the Horizon course for sex offenders and to complete 40 Rehabilitation Activity Days with the Probation Service.
He was also told to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order severely restricting his internet usage.
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