Man jailed for over three years for communicating sexual messages with girl he thought was 14

A paedophile has been jailed for more than three years after he communicated with what he thought was a teenage girl online.

55 year-old Gary Dennett, sent messages on a dating app to the 14-year-old girl, who was actually a decoy from an online child activist group.

A mobile phone seized from the house was found to contain 17 indecent images of a girl.

Dennett, of Abbotsley Road, Croxton, pleaded guilty to attempt to cause/incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, attempted sexual communications with a child and make an indecent photo of a child.

DC Matthew Walshe, who investigated, said “Dennett believed he was engaging in the abuse of a 14-year-old-child. He refused to admit responsibility until a month before the trial, claiming to have been ‘hacked’ and causing delays for other victims and additional expense to the taxpayer.

"The grooming and sexual exploitation of children can have devastating effects on a child’s emotional development, mental health and self esteem that continue into adulthood – and for adults like Dennett, can lead to well-deserved prison time.”