July 2021 Sunderland paedophile snared in undercover sting trying to meet teen for sex for third time A paedophile who turned up to meet a 14-year-old girl at a train station for sex had been snared in an undercover online sting – for a third time Graham Burton had already been jailed twice for his sickening internet activities towards children when he started another illegal conversation in March. The 57-year-old grandad, who was out on licence, was told he was chatting to a schoolgirl but had been duped by a covert police operative, who was behind the fake chat profile. Prosecutor Michael Bunch told the court Burton quickly turned the conversation sexual and enticed the teen to travel almost 25 miles to meet him at Sunderland train station with the promise of alcohol and cigarettes. When he arrived at the station to meet the child, who said she would skip school and catch a train from Middlesbrough, he was greeted by the police. Mr Bunch told the court Burton had sent pictures of his naked private parts during the conversation, which ran from a Monday until just before the illegal meeting, which was arranged for the Friday. Mr Bunch said: “Very quickly the conversation was sexualised by the defendant. “He consistently discussed sexual matters with the 14-year-old, who had clarified her age repeatedly and the fact she was still at school. “A number of penetrative acts were proposed on his part towards the girl with whom he believed he was conversing. “He also proposed that the two should meet. He suggested she could travel from Middlesbrough, Teesside, where she said she resided, by jumping on the train without buying a ticket and he would meet her in Sunderland city centre. “He offered to buy her alcohol and also offered to buy cigarettes if she wanted. “He attempted to gain her support by saying he would be sympathetic and understanding towards her and wouldn’t act in any way which would hurt her. “He sought to get agreement to sexual acts he proposed undertaking to her. “An agreement was made to meet for the Friday. She said she would skip school to travel up. “He commented people would just think he was her grandad if they were seen in public.” The court heard police attended Sunderland train station at the arranged meeting time and found Burton waiting. He claimed he was just “out for a walk and to get a newspaper” and denied he was waiting for a child Burton, of Park Road, Sunderland, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and breach of a sexual harm prevention order. The court heard in 2017 he was jailed for 17 months for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and indecent images offences. In 2019 he was jailed for 27 months for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was released from prison last summer on licence. Judge Penny Moreland sentenced him to three years behind bars with lifelong sex offender registration. He is already the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. The judge told him: “You were arrested at Sunderland railway station, I am satisfied where you had gone to meet the 14-year-old girl you believed you had been talking to.” Judge Moreland said she accepted no child was harmed as the girl did not exist but she said Burton’s criminal record was a “serious aggravating feature” of the case. May 2019 Sunderland online predator back behind bars after being snared by paedophile hunters An online predator has been put back behind bars for trying to have sexual conversations with a child on the internet for the second time. Graham Burton was jailed for 16 months in 2017 for sending explicit chat to who he believed was an underage girl – but turned out to be an adult man – and for having a sickening stash of child abuse images. In February this year, the 55-year-old pervert was snared again, this time telling a 15-year-old teen, who he agreed was young enough to be his granddaughter, that the sexual messages would be their “little secret”. But Newcastle Crown Court hear Burton, who was the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to prevent any contact with children, had been duped again and was actually talking to paedophile hunter group One Reason, based in Yorkshire. The group set up decoy profiles on dating and social media sites in a bid to identify men who are trying to contact underage internet users. The court heard it was over dating site Oasis Burton started chatting to the profile, who he believed was 15-year-old “Abbie”. Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw told the court Burton asked if the teen was “looking for a daddy” and said it would be nice to meet up “for real”. Mr Wardlaw added: “He said it would be ‘our little secret’and ‘I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to do’.” The court heard Burton told the ‘teen’ he wanted to be her “first proper date” and “wanted to be the one to give her her first proper kiss”. Burton acknowledged he was old enough to be the girl’s grandad but also asked her for a “sexy picture”. Mr Wardlaw added: “The defendant was saying ‘I know what I am doing is wrong but it feels good. Think about sitting on my sofa, holding each other and kissing’.” Burton, of Tower Street West, Sunderland, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Judge Sarah Mallett jailed him for 27 months with sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for ten years. The judge told him: “You identified but didn’t seem to be put off by the fact you were old enough to be her grandad. “You told her not to tell anyone, that it would be ‘our little secret’. “The conversations became more sexual. You asked her for a sexy picture and suggested you should meet. “You also identified you knew what you were doing was wrong.” August 2017 Pervert sent sexual pictures of himself to man he thought was a 13-year-old girl A ‘family man’ with a sexual interest in children who thought he was talking to a 13-year-old girl online was in fact chatting to an adult who used the conversation to satisfy his own perverted desires. Grandfather Graham Burton engaged in a string of online messages with teenager “Tash” without realising he was actually talking to an adult male. Newcastle Crown Court heard the second man was in fact partaking in the conversation for his own sexual gratification. Burton, who was known to police, sent numerous sexual pictures of his body to the ‘girl’, saying that he wanted to take her to a hotel and take her virginity, before his property was recognised by officers when they later saw the images. Burton also collected 30 indecent images of children, including 10 in the highest category, and extreme porn images of adults having sex with animals were found on his phones, kindle and laptop. Newcastle Crown Court heard how he searched for “pre-teens” on porn websites and that one of the images included a child so young that a judge described them as a baby. Burton pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, possessing extreme porn, three counts of making indecent images of children and distributing indecent images of children. Prosecutor David Crook said: “He sent pictures of himself that showed him in an armchair and next to a table and the police recognised the layout from the scene. “There were also invites to B&Bs and hotels. Somewhere there were no cameras. “He wanted to take her virginity. He said to her ‘you look much older than 13’. Jailing him for 16 months, Mr Recorder Stuart Brown said a custodial sentence was justified and added: “I have been urged that because in this case there is no victim that I am able to suspend the sentence but I cannot believe that I can do that. “The least sentence that I can pass is one of 16 months.” Burton, 53, of Collingwood Court, Washington, was also given a sexual harm prevention order which will last seven years and the images have been ordered to be destroyed.