December 2019 Pervert caught by paedophile hunting team A pervert from Dudley caught by a group of paedophile hunters called “Defending the Innocent” has been locked up for 26 months. A adult female member of the group posed as a 12-year-old schoolgirl and she was “groomed” for sex by 55-year-old Paul Chapman. Judge James Burbidge QC told Chapman it was clear he wanted to “fulfil his sexual desires” as he described what he wanted to do to the girl. Chapman, he said, had extensive contact with the woman pretending to be the girl and 100 pages of conversation were recorded containing “highly sexualised” messages. Mr Andrew Wallace prosecuting said Chapman, who had a 2012 conviction for committing a sexual act in the presence of a child, was caught on-line by the paedophile hunters. He suggested to the female at the other end of the line that they should meet and share a bed at a hotel before agreeing to send her a naked photograph of himself. Chapman of Ivanhoe Street, Holly Hall admitted trying to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and he was further made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Harm Protection Order. Mr Simon Hanns, defending, told Wolverhampton Crown Court Chapman had been leading a “lonely lifestyle.” Chapman, the court was told, “took fright” after his arrest and he disappeared for a short time to live in woodland before finally being picked up again by police in Kidderminster.