Man tried to meet ‘teen girl’

OFFENDER COMPARED HIMSELF TO DISGRACED STAR

A man compared himself to disgraced former Sunderland footballer Adam Johnson when he was caught on camera in Sunderland trying to meet an underage teen.

Garry Baker believed he had been sending sex chat to a 15-year-old girl over dating site Badoo, but had been duped by online paedophile hunters Guardians of the North.

When the 24-year-old turned up at a McDonald’s car park in Sunderland to meet the child, he was confronted by the group, who had a video camera in tow and the police on their way.

Baker told the group, while being filmed: “I look at the things that have happened with Adam Johnson and things like that and I have done exactly the same thing. I have been really stupid.”

Former England international Johnson is serving a six-year prison sentence for sex offences involving a 15-year-old girl.

At Newcastle Crown Court, Baker pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child under 16 to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

Judge Stephen Earl sentenced Baker, who has never been in trouble before, to a community order for two years with sex offender reg- istration and sexual harm prevention order for five years.

Prosecutor Emma Dowling told the court Baker was carrying a condom when he turned up to meet the child – but there is a “question” over exactly what would have happened if a teenager actually turned up as he had voiced concern about her age during the messages.

Andrew Walker, defending, said Baker, of Allendale Drive, South Shields, had not gone out looking for contact with a child when he joined the site.