PERVERT CAUGHT OUT
This is the moment a pervert was confronted by paedophile hunters after he arranged to a meet a 13-yearold girl.
Michael Nevin believed he was about to meet a teen called “Robin” when he turned up at Greggs, in Park Lane, Sunderland, on March after weeks of online chats.
But the 44-year-old had been duped by Guardians of the North, an organisation that sets up fake profiles of children to snare men looking for underage sex.
Members of the group were waiting for Nevin when he arrived to meet the girl and confronted him on camera while waiting for the police, who had been alerted.
Nevin can be seen unsteady on his feet while being quizzed by members of the group on camera.
Nevin, of Arnold Street, Boldon Colliery, claimed he “wanted to be friends” with the child he believed he had been about to meet.
He was arrested and pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
Nevin told officials he had got into conversations with the teen because of “social anxiety and boredom”.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Nevin had got in contact with the teen over social media and they started to have daily contact over a number of weeks before a meeting was discussed.
Prosecutor Jonathan Devlin said Nevin referred to the girl as “hun” and “darling” during their chats and warned her she should be careful while on the internet as there was “naughty people” online.
Judge Bob Spragg sentencedNev into nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabiliation requirements plus a 10- year sexual offences preventionorder and 10- year sex offender registration.
The judge said Nevin was “socially isolated, with few friends or interests” and that intervention would be the best way to ensure public protection in the long term.
The court heard Nevin has a number of health problems and is not considered to pose a high risk of committing further offences.
Vince Ward, defending, said the behaviour was a “one-off ”.
“Nevin was socially-isolated with few friends” JUDGE BOB SPRAGG