WASHINGTON MAN JAILED FOR ATTEMPTING TO MEET UNDERAGE GIRL FOR SEX
A man named Mark Williamson, aged 47, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after attempting to meet an underage girl for sexual activity.Williamson had engaged in online chat conversations with a decoy profile set up by vigilantes, believing he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl.
During these conversations, he steered the dialogue towards sexual matters, disclosed he had a foot fetish, and requested images of her feet.
He also sent a close-up photograph of his groin area while in boxer shorts.
Williamson's messages included comments about wanting to cuddle her and a desire to have sex with her, despite being told she was only 14.
He arranged to meet her at Sunderland train station, promising to refund her train ticket if she bought it, and expressed intentions to take her back to his house for sex.
When he arrived, he was confronted by vigilantes and police.
The court heard that the conversations started on Chat Avenue on November 16 of the previous year, where Williamson used the username "Sparky" and claimed to be 19.
Prosecutor Stuart Graham described the interactions, noting that Williamson's behavior did not appear to be a moment of madness but a calculated attempt to meet a child for sexual acts.
During his house search post-arrest, officers found photographs of children and a realistic baby doll, as well as some cannabis.
Williamson admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a minor and arranging a child sex offense.
His defense argued alcohol was involved in his initial contact, but the court judge rejected this, indicating it was a targeted effort to meet the child for sexual purposes.
The judge sentenced Williamson to two and a half years imprisonment, placed him under lifelong sex offender registration, and imposed a sexual harm prevention order.
