BOOTLE MAN ARRESTED FOLLOWING ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION STING
Bootle, Liverpool — A 52-year-old man from Bootle was arrested in June 2024 after being confronted by an online child protection team who alleged he had been engaging in inappropriate conversations with someone he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.Gary Donlevy was identified in a sting operation carried out by a volunteer child safeguarding group.
The organisation had posed as an underage child on a social media platform in order to catch suspected online predators.
The group released footage of the confrontation and handed over an extensive digital evidence file to Merseyside Police.
Messages allegedly sent by Donlevy revealed a prolonged period of contact with the decoy, during which he is accused of making sexually suggestive comments and asking the individual to participate in sexual acts.
In some exchanges, Donlevy reportedly justified his communication by claiming concern over the fictional child's wellbeing, referencing supposed issues involving her "alcoholic" parents.
However, the chats reportedly continued into increasingly explicit territory.
During the sting, Donlevy is said to have claimed he was intoxicated during the online exchanges.
However, the group stated that the frequency, tone, and length of the conversations painted a different picture.
