Vigilantes trap paedophile who travelled to meet 14-year-old
APAEDOPHILE travelled to Newport from London with condoms, lubricant and bottles of alcopops intending to meet a girl he believed was 14.
Adrian Simut, 35, who was also carrying tablets for erectile dysfunction, was instead met by members of a volunteer group called Petronus that aims to trap paedophiles and he was arrested.
Sentencing at Newport Crown Court, Judge Michael Fitton QC told him: “You translated something which may have begun as fantasy into an actual attempt to meet a child.”
The court heard one member of the group, now known as Justice Hunters, posed online as a made-up 14-year-old girl called Sam.
David Pugh, prosecuting, said Simut sent her a message on June 7 on the Kik messaging app saying: “Hello beautiful.”
Simut told the girl he was from London and she said she was from Newport.
The court heard the woman quickly stated she was 14 and the defendant, who was 34 at the time, lied about his age, claiming he was 27.
He told the girl: “You look so cute and beautiful in your profile pic.”
A few days after the initial contact, he said: “I get so horny. Do you want to have sex with me?”
Prosecutors said he apologised for that comment but talked about sexual acts in another conversation.
About a week after the first message he told the girl he would like to meet her and come to her house for sex. Mr Pugh said: “He told her he would bring alcohol to help her relax.”
The girl told him she had never had a boyfriend before and her mother was going away for work.
Prosecutors said Simut then sent her a picture of his penis and asked for indecent photographs of her at which point she again stated she was 14.
Simut told the girl he had bought train tickets and suggested she should invite a friend to her house.
Mr Pugh said: “He was clear he wanted to have sexual intercourse with Sam and her friend.”
Simut arranged to meet her outside Newport railway station at 11.20pm on June 23. He was confronted by members of Petronus and detained until police arrived.
He was arrested and made no comment in his police interview.
Simut, from Stanford Road in London, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
He also admitted attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
Gareth Williams, defending, said his client, who was born in Romania, had no previous convictions in the UK or abroad.
Simut was jailed for three years and the judge made an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.