May 2019 Manipulative paedophile threatened suicide as he tried to exploit ‘underage girls’ A “dangerous” paedophile ensnared by decoys posing as underage girls tried to manipulate the ‘teenagers’ by threatening to kill himself. The paedophile hunters who later confronted Brian Milner over the sexual messages he sent to the girls asked police to visit his house to check on his wellbeing after becoming concerned by his threats. Depraved Milner, 49, posed as a 25-year-old when he added the two girls on Facebook in February this year. They told him they were 13 and 14 respectively early on in their conversations. Having spoken to both girls over the course of a month, with the conversations becoming more sexual in tone and Milner having sent photos of his genitals, he agreed to meet with one girl near his home in Porthcawl on March 23. But when he reached the meeting point he was confronted by members of paedophile hunting group Angels of Justice and was told he had been talking with decoys who had been monitoring his inappropriate conversations. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard Milner initially told the girls they were “beautiful” and called them “his princess” but quickly said they had “lovely bodies” and that he was in love with them. Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said the defendant tried to manipulate the girls and told them he was going to take an overdose. One of the decoys became so worried they called the police who visited Milner’s home to check on his wellbeing but he was fine. As well as sending one girl a picture of his genitals he sent her a photo of himself in his boxers and asked for a photo of her in her pyjamas. He also began talking about masturbation, oral sex, and rape. Matters came to a head when Milner agreed to meet one of the youngsters who said she was staying in a caravan in Trecco Bay. They exchanged numbers and he asked her to contact him when she arrived at the meeting place. Mr Cobbe said: “It was, of course, a trap. He arranged to meet Zoe at the pre-arranged spot on her own and he walked up to a girl who had her hood pulled up. “He glanced at her and recognised he was not meeting a young girl and began to walk off but was confronted by the group. They spoke to him about the conversations and waited for the police to arrive, who arrested him.” In his police interview Milner accepted going to Porthcawl but claimed he was going to meet someone at the fair and said somebody else had sent the sexual messages to the decoys from his account. He also told probation he didn’t want to meet the girls for sexual reasons but to gain conversation skills with children as he wanted to meet a woman who had children. Milner later pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child under 16 following sexual grooming and two counts of attempting sexual communication with a child. Judge Jeremy Jenkins said Milner’s excuses made to the probation service gave cause for great concern. He said: “You said you had no sexual motivation in attempting to meet a child but to develop communication skills with children in the hope of engaging in an intimate relationship with a woman who had children. “I reject entirely that explanation – you do not seek to develop and engage in conversation with a child by relating to masturbation or oral sex and you do not send photographs of your penis to do so. “I am quite satisfied, in having regard to the nature of the material I have access, to that I should treat you as a dangerous offender and I intend to pass an indeterminate sentence on you.” Milner, of New Road, Porthcawl, was given a 36-month extended sentence comprising 24 months in prison and 12 months on licence. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.