Pervert had ‘depraved, disgusting’ online chat with ‘girls’
A DEPRAVED pervert who had online sex chats with what he thought were girls aged 11 and 14 has been jailed.
John Dale was already banned from having contact with youngsters under the terms of a sexual offences prevention order imposed in 2012, when he was locked up for causing a child to engage in sexual activity online.
However, in 2019 he contacted profiles purporting to be children but which were in fact being run by paedophile hunters.
Newcastle Crown Court heard he sent them a series of messages branded “persistent and disgusting”.
Judge Tim Gittins sentenced him to three years behind bars with lifelong sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.
The judge told him: “The behaviour, depraved and disgusting enough as it is, is all the more serious because it was committed while you were subjected to a sexual offences prevention order.
“I am satisfied, had the child been real in either of the discussions you were entering into with those profiles, then the risk of very serious harm was substantial, if not overwhelming.
“I am satisfied you continue to pose a risk of causing serious harm.”
Prosecutor Philip Morley said in January 2019 Dale sent the fake 14-year-old 30 images of male genitals and pictures of sex toys.
The married 56-year-old discussed meeting up with the teen but cancelled the arrangement.
Mr Morley said: “The conversations were sexualised throughout and he talked during the conversations about having sexual intercourse.”
The court heard the group behind the fake profile alerted the police and Dale was arrested.
When officers searched his phone they discovered another conversation he had been involved in, shortly after
the first, with the profile of an 11-yearold, which had also been set up by a vigilante group.
Mr Morley said: “The chat log showed she had given her age as 11 and the defendant continued to chat with her.”
The court heard Dale asked to see pictures of the girl’s private parts.
Mr Morley said two indecent images of children, one being the most serious category, had also been downloaded on Dale’s phone.
Dale, of Sharon Close, West Moor, North Tyneside, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting sexual communication with a child, breach of a sexual harm prevention order and possessing indecent images of children.
David Comb, for Dale, said Dale’s personal circumstances were “characterised by depression and alcohol abuse” at the time.
Mr Comb said Dale’s guilty pleas were an indication of his acknowledgement of responsibility for his behaviour.