Chef tried to groom teen – who was actually a cop

A CHEF has been jailed after sending lewd images and video of himself to what he thought was a girl of 13.

But Neil William Evans didn’t realise he was actually in conversations on social media with an undercover police officer.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. His defence barrister said he had been in the grip of a cocaine addiction, and that “the disinhibiting effect of the drug must have had a part to play”.

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Curtis said Evans had used iPhone messaging app KiK last December to talk to “13-year-old Courtney.”

He added Evans, 31, of Wian Street in Holyhead, lied that he was 23 and continued sexually explicit conversations, also on WhatsApp.

Mr Curtis said Evans mentioned a potential meeting although there was no charge involving this.

The prosecutor said Evans had searched online for girls aged 13 to 17, on KiK, and viewed eleven profiles.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Evans: ” You truly believed you were in contact with a 13-year-old girl.”

The judge said Evans had sent a picture of his penis and a video of him performing a sex act, adding: “It’s clear that your behaviour was persistent despite the initial reluctance of what you thought was a 13-year-old girl and this wasn’t a one-off. You had been conducting searches of KiK for other girls as young as 13.

“These matters are so serious only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.”

Evans was jailed for 10 months and must register as a sex offender for ten years. A 10-year sexual harm preven- tion order was made.

When our sister paper the Daily Post reported that he had been suspended from his job with the Stena Line, ahead of his sentencing, Evans took to Facebook to claim he had been trying to catch paedophiles, writing: “At least I tried to do something about them”.

He added: “There is no underage girl. This needs to stop. I was trying to catch a perv (sic).

“I don’t care any more people believe what they want.

“I’m a decent person who hates paedophiles.

“I wanted to do something about them.”

But minutes later the post was deleted and Evans wrote: “On advice from my barrister I have to take this down. Glad it’s been entertaining for some but at the end of the day it’s not true any of it.”