November 2018 Sunderland paedophile back behind bars after inviting ‘boy’ around to his house for tea A paedophile has been put back behind bars after he tried to invite a child “around for tea” at his house. Paul Southern has been banned for life from having any contact with children as a result of an order imposed last year, when he was jailed for trying to meet two underage boys, from a dating site, for sex but had been duped by paedophile hunters Guardians of the North. After his release from jail, the 40-year-old has been snared by the group again, using the same dating app Grindr, trying to chat with a child last month. Prosecutor Mark Guiliani told Newcastle Crown Court: “The group was able to establish his address, where he was living. They went around because he invited the 14-year-old boy, or the person he thought was a 14-year-old boy, around for tea.” The court heard instead of a naive schoolboy turning up at the house for “tea”, members of the Guardians of the North, who pose as children online to expose paedophiles, arrived at the door instead and alerted the police. Southern, of Hendon Burn Avenue, Sunderland, admitted breach of a sexual harm prevention order. Judge Tim Gittins jailed him for 16 months and said it was “likely significant sexual contact would have followed” if Southern had been able to meet an actual child. Judge Gittins told him: “This is not just a breach of sexual harm prevention order in a minor way but by trying to commit the same sort of offence you tried to commit last year, effectively attempting to sexually groom a boy under 16.” The judge told Southern there was no problem with him using the site to meet adults. But he added: “It is clear you are ready and willing, if there are underage boys on the site, to contact them with a view to meeting for sexual behaviour to take place between the two of you.” Southern remains subject to the sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders register, both on an indefinite basis. May 2017 Pervert caught TWICE inviting children to his home for sex A pervert is behind bars after he was caught TWICE inviting children to his home for sex by the same online protection group Paul Southern thought he was chatting to underage teenage boys on gay dating website Grindr – but instead he had been exposed by Guardians Of The North, who had set up fake profiles. Newcastle Crown Court heard in September last year the 38-year-old contacted a profile claiming to be a male named “Ryan” and was told boy was just 14. Despite believing he was messaging a child, Southern invited “Ryan” to his home, engaged in explicit sexual chat and even offered to pay for him to travel there by cab. He told the youngster: “I haven’t been with a guy as young since I was 13 LOL, need to be careful”. When the former hotel worker was confronted by the police, who were called to the address by the Guardians of the North group, he claimed he had been “set up”. The court heard just two months later, while on police bail over the first confrontation, Southern contacted another profile on the same site in December. This time, he was told the profile belonged to a lad called “Thomas”, who, again, was 14. Southern once again turned the conversation to sexual matters and used “explicit language” before giving the child his address so he could “pop over”. Prosecutor Emma Dowling told the court: “Mr Southern admitted to Thomas he was scared because he knew his age but continued to contact him a number of times during the day and asked if he was coming to his home and if they were going to bed. “ Again, Guardians of the North attended and again contacted the police and the defendant was arrested.” The court heard once again Southern claimed he had been “set up”. Southern, of Dinsdale Street South, Ryhope, Sunderland, admitted two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced him to 21 months behind bars with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and ten years on the sex offenders register. The judge said: “What is troubling more than anything was he was released on bail and despite all that that meant, he did exactly the same thing again.” The judge said the incitement involved “very serious sexual activity” and that the sexual harm prevention order was necessary to “protect underage boys” . Judge Rippon told Southern: “You said on both occasions you had been set up, which you hadn’t.