Pervert twice caught asking boys for sex
A pervert is behind bars after he was caught twice inviting children to his home for sex bythesamepaedophilehunter group.
Paul Southern thought he was chatting to underage teenage boys on gay dating website Grindr - but had been duped by Guardians of the North, who had set up fake profiles.
Newcastle Crown Court heard in September last year the 38-year-old contacted a profile claiming to be a male named “Ryan” and was told the boy was just 14.
Despite believing he was messaging a child, Southern invited “Ryan” to his home, engaged in explicit sexual chat and even offered to pay for him to travel there by cab.
He told the youngster: “I haven’t been with a guy as young since I was 13 LOL, need to be careful”.
When the former hotel worker was confronted by the police, who were called to the address by the Guardians of the North group, he claimed he had been “set up”.
The court heard just two monthslater,whileonpolice bail over the first confrontation, Southern contacted another profile on the same site in December.
This time, he was told the profile belonged to a lad called “Thomas”, who, again, was 14.
Southern once again turned the conversation to sexual matters and used “explicit language” before giving the child his address so he could “pop over”.
Prosecutor Emma Dowling told the court: “Mr Southern admitted to Thomas he was scared because he knew his age but continued to contact him a number of times duringthedayandaskedifhe was coming to his home and if they were going to bed.
“Again, Guardians of the North attended and again contacted the police and the defendant was arrested.”
The court heard once again Southern claimed he had been “set up”.
Southern, of Dinsdale Street South, Ryhope, Sunderland,admittedtwocharges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced him to 21 months behind bars with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and ten years on the sex offenders register.