Paedophile caught in police sting
PERVERT PERFORMED SEX ACT WHILE THINKING HE WAS CHATTING TO 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A PAEDOPHILE who posed as a younger man online to have sexual chats with a child was caught by an undercover police officer.
Steven Marchington, from Oldham, thought he was speaking to a teenage girl when he performed a sex act on himself over webchat.
In fact it was an undercover officer who had joined the online forum for teenagers, posing as 13-year-old ‘Holly’.
Manchester Crown Court heard Marchington messaged the undercover officer under the username David UK, saying he was a 22-yearold man. He was in fact 57 at the time, in January 2018.
He told the officer he was a ‘horny guy’, the court heard.
“She asked if he minded if she was a 13-year-old girl. The offender replied ‘as long as you are ok with it’,” Daniel Caulder, prosecuting ,said.
“In the course of the conversation, the defendant said he needed to relieve himself. He continued to talk about (performing a sex act on himself).”
He then asked ‘Holly’ if she wanted to chat to him on video chat on another website, which the officer refused.
On another occasion, in February 2018, the same undercover officer was approached by the defendant, again with the username ‘ David UK’ on the same platform.
“He offered to put on his web cam. He lifted his T-shirt and started to rub his nipples. He said they were getting hard.”
He then performed the sex act on himself, before asking her lewd questions.
Marchington was arrested on March 4 last year.
Defending, Ronan Maguire, said: “This is offending that would have remained online. There is no evidence to the contrary. The defendant is 60 years of age. He has held down the same job with the same employer for 44 years.
“He is someone who has within him two personalities. One as a responsible and law-abiding individual for the vast majority of his life. But someone who is... having to suppress within him somebody else who commits these kinds of offences.”
He said he has a ‘realistic prospect of rehabilitation’.
His 30-year-old marriage has come to an end, he has no relationship with his adult son and he is ‘just about managing’ to maintain a relationship with his adult daughter. He has moved out of the family home ‘as a result of these matters’, the court heard.
Marchington, of Cathedral Road, Chadderton, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual conversations with a child.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
The court heard he had previous convictions, in 1985 and 1999 for indecent exposure, one of which resulted in a caution.
Judge Recorder Tom Gilbart told Marchington that what he did was ‘horrendous’.
He sentenced him to a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He also ordered him to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work. Marchington must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.