MAHMOUD MORAD SENTENCED IN STOKE-ON-TRENT FOR ATTEMPTED CHILD MEETING AND GROOMING
Perpetrator Mahmoud Morad was caught by a paedophile hunter when he attempted to meet an 11-year-old girl after grooming her online.The 30-year-old Egyptian, who had been communicating with the schoolgirl named Chloe via the internet, sent her sexual photographs before traveling from his home in Stoke-on-Trent to Burton to meet her.
However, upon arrival, he was confronted by a group of vigilantes dedicated to catching paedophiles, leading to his arrest after an intense confrontation.
Morad has now received a jail sentence of two and a half years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
The court proceedings revealed that Morad accessed an adult website called Nearby in November and discovered a user named Chloe Howarth claiming to be 11 years old.
She also posted a photograph to support her age claim.
Morad then asked Chloe to send him intimate pictures, which she did, along with sexually explicit photographs that he also sent before planning to meet her.
Despite denying the charges of attempting to cause or incite sexual exploitation of a child; attempting to cause a child to view a sexual act; and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, Morad was convicted of all three after a trial this week.
Michael Edmonds, defending Morad, stated, "The defendant has now lost his good character, and these convictions will have ruinous consequences.
It may be he is unlikely to reside in this country going forward.
It is very hard for him and his wife.
It is going to be a matter of considerable distress to her that he is incarcerated and, in all likelihood, will be deported." Judge David Fletcher commented on the case, saying, "You traveled with the intention at some stage of involving yourself in penetrative sexual activity with a child.
There is no evidence to say it would have happened on the first occasion you met.
There were sexual images exchanged.
The picture sent to her was particularly graphic in terms of what it was showing, and it was intended for a child aged only 11.
This was very bad behaviour by you.
It wasn't just foolish; this was criminal behaviour.
You entered into these discussions, these chat logs, with someone, and I have no doubt you believed she was 11 years of age, and you continued to do so over a period of days before arranging to meet her."
