Paedophile hunters set online trap for ‘predator’
AMAN who claimed he was “living in a fantasy world” when he sent a series of “predatory” sexual messages to paedophile-hunters posing as girls as young as 11 has been jailed for two and a half years.
Jason Benger made contact with the fake profiles on the dating app Waplog, unaware that he was actually chatting with adult men who run organisations aimed at raising awareness of online grooming, Newport Crown Court heard.
Owen Williams, prosecuting, said Benger, 48, sent regular messages asking the girls to meet him to give him oral sex and to have intercourse.
Mr Williams said the men behind the profiles made it clear to Benger that he was speaking to children and did not instigate conversations of a sexual nature or suggest meeting up.
Mr Williams said Benger contacted “Jessie”, who said she was 12, on “almost a daily basis”, sending her pictures of his exposed penis and asking for pictures in return.
“He suggested as she lived in Cardiff they could meet in Cardiff and he could take her to a B&B,” he said.
The court heard Benger also asked “Jessie” to bring a friend, who Jessie said was 11, to which he replied by asking if they would like to suck his lollipop. The conversations with the other profiles – Jenna, 14, and Jodie, 11 – included similar content and all involved him sending sexual pictures of himself, the court heard.
Mr Williams said Benger was arrested after two members of the group, The Hunted One, went to his home and confronted him with the chat logs. When interviewed by officers, Benger said he believed that the girls were aged over 18.
Benger, of Abertillery, pleaded guilty to six counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity at an earlier hearing.
He also asked for two other similar offences to be taken into consideration for sentence.
Jeffrey Jones, for the defence, said his client had cared for his elderly and unwell parents prior to his arrest, adding that there was no evidence that he left his home to meet any of the profiles and that Benger said this was “a fantasy world”.
Judge Daniel Williams said: “He attempted to incite children as young as 11 to engage in sexual activity. That’s not a fantasy.”
Benger was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.