October 2010 Pervert jailed for grooming girl A PERVERT who was caught in bed with a girl he had groomed for sex has been jailed. Gary Hitchmough met the 15-year-old, from the south of England, when she visited Leigh. The 41-year-old, from Hope Carr Road, Leigh, took her to a football match and bought her a Liverpool FC kit and, for more than a year after she returned home, “he inundated her with daily text messages saying he loved her”, Harry Pepper, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court. Last December, he persuaded the youngster to travel up to stay with him and told her to tell her family she was meeting a boyfriend called Michael. She arrived at Bolton bus station on December 3 but a woman friend of Hitchmough’s had learnt of the proposed meeting and instead met her and the police were called. They spoke to Hitchmough and told him it was inappropriate for the girl to stay with him, and other arrangements were made for her. But he rang her and persuaded her to come to his home around midnight, which she did. The police were again alerted and they called at his home. Hitchmough opened the door and the girl was found wearing pyjamas in his bed. He was arrested and told police she was “a text buddy”, said Mr Pepper. Hitchmough pleaded guilty to child grooming. Sentencing him to two years and three months in prison, the judge, Recorder Nick Clarke, QC, said the girl had had the misfortune to be introduced to him and he had begun “a long and unhealthy relationship with her”. “Your underlying sexual intentions became clear. You came very close to fulfilling your intentions.” He ordered Hitchmough, who has no previous convictions for sexual offences, to sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years. Paul Becker, defending, said that Hitchmough has a problem with drink and drugs. The girl was only four months from being 16 and there was a lot of communication but there had only been the one meeting.