Man, 92, jailed for grooming ‘girls’ after vigilantes set trap
A92-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed after online vigilantes caught him attempting to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex.
Ivor Gifford sent explicit messages to two fake profiles, purporting to be a 12-year-old girl called Jodie and an 11-year-old named Jessie.
Newport Crown Court heard the pensioner was “well-versed” in chatrooms, using emojis and language to attract and groom young girls.
He was caught by a group called The Hunted One after arranging to meet ‘Jessie’ at Llanhilleth, near his home in Abertillery.
Gifford sent both ‘Jodie’ and ‘Jessie’ an explicit image, asking the girl he believed to be 11 to “dress sexy” when she visited to “tempt” him.
A jury convicted him of two charges of attempting to incite a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
Judge Daniel Williams jailed former businessman Gifford, who sat next to his barrister in a wheelchair for proceedings, for 18 months.
“You were on the internet looking for young girls and looking for young girls to engage in sexual activity,” the judge told Gifford.
“You were well-versed in using chat sites and very adept at using language and emojis to keep what you believed to be young girls engaged in conversations with you.”
The judge added: “The communications went on for some time.
“You are 92 years of age. That age is reflected in your physical health, which is far from good, but you are mentally well and mentally able to communicate with young girls.”
The judge said Gifford exchanged messages with ‘Jodie’, who he believed to be 12, on social messaging site Waplog between September 26 and December 2 last year.
“Yours were often sexual in nature – you telling Jodie that she was gorgeous, asking if she liked making love, asking specifically ‘do you want sex, love?,’” the judge told Gifford. “You later said ‘I feel I want to have sex with you but keep it a secret.’ You asked her to send nude photographs.”
When ‘Jodie’ told Gifford her camera was broken, he graphically described sexual intercourse and told her how to perform a sexual act, the court heard.
“You carried on asking for what you referred to as a ‘naughty photo’,” the judge said. “You said you would love to have her at your house for the day.”
The second fake Waplog profile, contacted by Gifford between October 30 and December 3, purported to be an 11-year-old girl named Jessie.
“You asked her if she was looking for sex,” the judge told Gifford. “You said how your messaging could lead to you taking her virginity. You arranged for Jessie to travel to Llanhilleth where you would meet her.
“You told her you would like her to be your secret lover. In relation to that meeting, you asked this 11-yearold girl to dress sexy for you to tempt you.”
Gifford, who had no previous convictions, sent an explicit image to the profile and travelled by taxi to meet ‘Jessie’ from the station.
When he arrived, he realised he had been set up and was confronted by members of The Hunted One, before being arrested.
Representing Gifford, Jeffrey Jones said his client had suffered a heart attack and a stroke, and had “very limited” mobility.
“He is very advanced in life,” Mr Jones said. “He is in a state of shock at the publicity of the matter and the loss of his good name. He utters that the last thing he wants to do is bother on the internet again.”