Wallsend serial predator jailed for online child grooming for the fourth time

WALLSEND SERIAL PREDATOR JAILED FOR ONLINE CHILD GROOMING FOR THE FOURTH TIME

A serial online pervert has been sentenced after being caught attempting to prey on children for the fourth time.

Anthony Morgan, who resides in Wallsend, was previously convicted in 2017 and 2019 following incidents involving decoy profiles of minors.

Recently, he was caught engaging with a decoy profile set up by law enforcement, pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.

Morgan, who was himself posing as an 18-year-old, continued communication even after revealing he was 58, asking questions about her body development and offering sexual advice.

He explained to police that he thought he had done well by advising her to end the chat after learning her age but admitted to continuing because he was bored and lonely.

Morgan has a history of convictions related to trying to engage with minors online, including a 21-month jail sentence in 2017 for attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and a 3-year community order in 2019 for similar offenses involving decoy profiles of 15-year-olds.

He was also in breach of sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.

Recently, he pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

The court heard Morgan is 59 years old and has a troubled criminal record, with ten previous convictions.

His latest offence involved him communicating with a decoy profile over social media in April this year, refusing to cease contact after revealing his age, and continuing the conversation which turned sexual.

The judge noted his criminal history and recent guilty plea as factors in his sentencing.