The Scarborough News

Paedophile jailed after group’s sting

- Court Reporter newsdesk@jpress.co.uk @TheScarbor­oNews

An online sex offender who tried to coax a 13-year-old ‘girl’ into sex has been jailed for two years after being caught by a vigilante group.

Andrew Carrington, 56, from Scarboroug­h, contacted the‘girl’afterseein­gafakeprof­ile on Facebook set up by an online child protection group, York Crown Court heard.

In fact, the ‘girl’ was an adult decoy posing as a teenager to whom Carrington sent a Facebook request, said prosecutor Richard Herrmann.

Carrington asked her how old she was and despite her telling him she was 13, he continued messaging her and the conversati­ons “very quickly became highly sexual”.

Carrington, of Washbeck Close, bombarded the ‘girl’ with further messages.

In a subsequent message, Carrington asked her to meet him in York, where he was living at the time.

“He told her they would go somewhere for sex and he would bring her clean underwear,” added Mr Herrmann. However, when the ‘girl’ told Carrington­shehadboug­htrail tickets to meet up with him, he cancelled the meeting after getting “cold feet”.

Carrington, who is a father, told the ‘girl’ he had a “work commitment” on the day they were supposed to meet, although there was “evidence of some planning [to meet up with the ‘girl’] because he had been looking on the internet, shopping for underwear in small sizes”.

Carrington­wasarreste­don July 3 after being confronted at his home by members of the vigilante group which live streamed the footage on its Facebook site and called police to the address. He was taken in for questionin­g and told police: “I’ve been stupid and I’ve been caught.”

He was charged with attempting to incite a child to

engage in sexual activity, attempted sexual communicat­ion with a child, trying to arrange a meeting with a view tocommitti­ngasexualo­ffence andattempt­ingtocause­achild to watch an image of a person engaging in sexual activity.

Defence barrister Emily Hassell said Carrington had never been in trouble before and had been in a relationsh­ip for many years.

Judge Sean Morris, jailing Carrington for two years, said it had to be an immediate sentence. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and given a 10-year sexual-harm prevention order to curb his contact with children.

 ?? ?? Andrew Carrington has been jailed for engaging with the fictitious girl.
Andrew Carrington has been jailed for engaging with the fictitious girl.

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