'Isolated' Leeds pervert wanted to travel to Merseyside to meet 12-year-old girl

Melvyn Jones said he wanted to meet the child, who supposedly lived on Merseyside, encouraged her to masturbate and sent her pictures of his semi-erect penis, Leeds Crown Court heard.

But the 59-year-old was spared custody after the judge said it was “clearly an isolated incident”.

Judge Kate Rayfield told him: “I do not know if you have a deep-seated sexual interest in children or whether this was because of your recent isolation or whether it was misjudged attempt to seek company.”

Prosecutor Louise Pryke said Jones had made contact with the profile of the supposed 12-year-old on November 22 last year and which “quickly became sexual”, telling her wanted to teach her about sex.

He suggested they meet up, and that he would be willing to travel the 65 miles to her home town. However, he told her to not tell others about him because he could end up in jail.

He encouraged her to masturbate and said he wanted a photo of her doing it. He then sent her a picture of his genitals and told her he was “feeling horny”.

Jones made lewd suggestions about her keeping her phone between her legs at school and asked whether she liked it when it vibrated.

The court heard they exchanged messages over a two-day period and then Jones stopped the contact, despite attempts by the officer to re-engage.

Jones, of Red Hall Gardens, Shadwell, was arrested and his internet devices seized and analysed.

He admitted charges of attempting to incite a child under 13 into sexual activity, and attempted sexual communication with a child.

Mitigating, Phillip Mahoney said Jones “came to his senses” and stopped the chat with the supposed girl. Despite the “unpleasant” nature of the conversation, they never made “concrete plans” to meet up.

He added: “What essentially happened is that he realised what he was doing and pulled back from it.”

He said the offending took place at a time when Jones was experiencing bereavement, isolation and “problematic drinking”. He said that Jones also suffers from spondylosis and had been taking strong painkillers for more than a decade.

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Judge Rayfield took into account that it was Jones who stopped the conversations, and that no other evidence of child-abuse searches were found on his internet devices.

She handed him a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years, with 30 rehabilitation days.

He was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and put on the sex offender register for 10 years also.