Paedophile sobbed as judge at Preston Crown Court jails him for 3 years after paedo hunter sting

A sex offender snared in a "sting" by a gang of paedophile hunters has been jailed.

David Gilbert was tracked down after having indecent conversations on the internet with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

In fact the child was a decoy set up by a group of vigilantes to flush out sexual predators.

Gilbert was sent to prison for three years after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed on him for a previous offence involving children and also failing to comply with notification requirements under the Sex Offenders Register barring him from opening accounts on messaging apps without permission from the police.

Preston Crown Court heard the 43-year-old had a history of sex offences involving children and had only just accepted he was attracted to under-age girls.

He told the court: "I don't want to be this guy anymore. It makes me sick to my stomach. I hate myself for it."

Prosecution barrister Caitlin McLaughlin said the hunters invented a fictitious girl called Phoebe and put the character online to attract predatory paedophiles.

The girl identified herself clearly as being just 14 years old and it wasn't long before Gilbert made contact.

In conversations he asked if he could see her, called her "pretty" and "beautiful" and urged her to send him photographs of her in a hot tub wearing a swimsuit, or "something sexy" like a bra, or in her school uniform.

When she stressed that she was only 14 he told her "it's ok, you seem nice". He also asked what her mum would say if she found out she was talking to him, an adult male.

Eventually he sent her a picture of his private parts, although he removed it from the messaging app almost immediately.

Police arrested him in a pub near to his home address in Eaves Street, Blackpool, after the paedophile hunters traced where he lived. He told them: "I didn't want to end up like this. I hate myself for what I've done."

In an interview at the police station he said he had been struggling with his mental health, adding: "I just wanted to make a friend."

Ms McLaughlin said the offence for which he had been given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was a sexual assault on a nine-year-old girl in 2020.

The youngster had approached him for help after becoming separated from her friends and, instead of helping her, he took her to a remote spot where he abused her.

Other offences on his criminal record included making indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography, as well as breaching previous court orders.

Barrister Anthony Parkinson, representing Gilbert, said his client had co-operated fully with police and the probation service after his arrest and had shown "genuine remorse" for what he had done.

"This is the first time that he appears to accept the reason behind his offending – that he has a sexual interest in young girls," he said.

"In the past when he had been in touch with the probation service there have been excuses, blaming things like drug misuse or mental health. But probation officers say he now accepts his offending and the reasons for it."

Mr Parkinson said Gilbert was now determined to get help "to reduce the risk of committing further offences in the future".

Gilbert, who appeared in court via a video link from Preston Prison, sobbed throughout the hearing, repeatedly wiping his eyes on his T-shirt.

He read out a letter he had written to the judge in which he said: "I'm sorry for everything I've done. I've let myself down. I keep going on stupid (internet) sites to make friends. It's not right.

"I don't want to be this guy anymore. It makes me sick to my stomach. I hate myself for it. I don't want to go to prison anymore."

Recorder Mark Ainsworth told Gilbert he had been using messaging apps such as BIGO, Zangi and WhatsApp to talk to people, contrary to the notification rules.

"You came across what you believed to be a young girl called Phoebe," he said. "She presented herself online as being 14 years old. In fact, she didn't exit. It was a profile used by a paedophile hunting group. But you communicated with her as if she was a 14-year-old.

"You asked to see her, called her pretty and beautiful, asked her for pictures. You said you were 'gutted' you were way older than her. You liked what you saw.

"But she was a creation, a decoy profile of a paedophile hunting group. They managed to trace you to your house."

The judge added that when police arrested him Gilbert had told them: "I don't want to end up like this. You should have let them have me for what I've done. I hate myself for it."

It was clear, said Recorder Ainsworth, that Gilbert had "started upon a journey" by recognising the issue he needed to address in the months and years to come. "That is significant."

He sentenced him to three years in prison and imposed a new indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification requirements. He also ordered his mobile phone to be destroyed.