Self-confessed 'perv' caught in child sex sting

Damien Allen has previously been jailed for online child sex offences

A self-confessed "perv" deluged what he thought was a 13-year-old girl with naked pictures and asked for images in return, a court has heard.

Damien Allen, 39, already had convictions for sexual offences against children online when he was caught by an undercover police operation in January, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Officers also found two unregistered devices and numerous social media accounts and email addresses he had not disclosed as required by court orders.

Allen, of Pasture Row in Eldon, Bishop Auckland, was jailed for 18 months after admitting to breaching the orders and attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

Durham Police was contacted by its counterparts in the Metropolitan force in January with information that Allen had been sending sexual messages to one of its undercover operatives, prosecutor Charlie Thompson said.

Allen sent a friend request on Snapchat to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl on 15 January and then sent sexual messages, including naked pictures of himself, to her over the following 10 days, the court heard.

'Protect the public'

He also told her he was a "perv" and requested she send images of whatever her "favourite" features of herself were, Mr Thompson said.

Allen also told the decoy he missed her and asked if she was "looking sexy", the court heard.

When police went to his home, they found two devices that not been registered in accordance with a sexual harm prevention order.

That order was made in 2016 to last for 10 years after Allen was jailed for three years and 10 months for 12 sex offences involving children online.

The officers also discovered a cache of email and social media accounts which Allen had not notified them of, putting him in breach of notification requirements, also known as the sex offenders register.

Judge Geoffrey Marson KC said court orders were "serious" and had been put in place to "protect the public" and prevent Allen from reoffending.

He also said it was clear Allen "genuinely believed" he was messaging a 13-year-old girl and there was "no realistic prospect" of the offender's rehabilitation.

A new sexual harm order lasting 10 years was made and Allen must sign the sex offenders register for life.