Lancashire teen who asked for nude pictures of girls, 13, has faced abuse in street, Preston Crown Court told

Daniel Ward contacted two people who he believed were 13-year-old girls.

But they were in fact decoys - and that led to him appearing at Preston Crown Court.

Ward, aged 18, of Robin Lane, Bentham, near Lancaster, admitted three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

He was sentenced to nine months detention, suspended for 12 months.

The court heard that in late 2023 a decoy profile was set up by an online child safety organisation, appearing to be that of a girl aged 13.

Ward made contact, and after initially saying that at 13 she was "too young" for him, he later made contact again and asked her to send nude photos of herself.

On another occasion he sent a picture of his penis.

When the second profile of a "13-year-old girl" was created, Ward again made contact, making sexual references and sending a picture of his penis. He also sent a video of himself committing a lewd act.

In June 2024 Ward was traced to his home address and arrested.

Janet Ironfield, defending, said Ward admitted contacting the two decoys.

She said: "The conversations demonstrate a great naivety on the part of the defendant which were as a result of various conditions."

Ms Ironfield said Ward was a vulnerable teenager, on the autistic spectrum and suffering from ADHD.

He had difficulty processing information, and had now come to realise that what he did was wrong.

She said that he had already been punished because as a result of his identity being revealed, he had been subject to abuse in the streets.

Ward did not have a specific interest in young children, she added.

Sentencing him, Judge Michael Maher said Ward had used his own name and details, which had made it easy for so-called "paedophile hunters" to catch him.

He said Ward's conditions of autism and ADHD were relevant and that is why he had not imposed an immediate custodial sentence.

Judge Maher urged Ward to seek relationships "with people of your own age."

Ward was also ordered to carry out 60 days of rehabilitation activity.