Preston paedophile asked a dad to abuse his children - but was actually communicating with a police officer

William Gerald Lenehan, formerly of Devonshire Place, Fishwick, Preston, and now of Westgate, Gargrave Road, Skipton, used IP addresses in Walton-le-Dale and Paris to share his perverted ideas, Preston Crown Court heard.

But unknown to him, he was communicating with a police officer in Kent.

Despite his best efforts to hide his activities by using foreign e-mail accounts and special software, investigators traced the 65-year-old paedophile using his user name on a site called Kik Messenger.

The court was told Lenehan, who works as a technician, was arrested at Manchester airport on August 1, 2017, trying to returning from work in France.

He expressed what he would like to do to the youngsters, and tried to arrange a meeting with the man so they both could abuse them.

The court heard Lenehan shared images with the undercover officer, including one of a girl aged eight.

He pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including encouraging another person to take and send him indecent images of children, distributing indecent images and possessing them.

Judge Beverley Lunt jailed Lenehan for a total of 31 months.

She also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered Lenehan to sign the Sex Offender’s Register for life.