Paedophile previously caught in sting jailed again

John Armitage was jailed in 2019 after travelling to Newcastle expecting to meet a young girl for sex

A "dangerous sex offender" who was previously caught by a paedophile hunter has been jailed again for 14 months after indecent images of children were found on his devices.

John Armitage, of Wembley Street in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was jailed in 2019 and given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) after he travelled 140 miles (225km) to Newcastle expecting to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex.

However, in November 2022 he breached his SHPO and was recalled to prison with his devices being seized, police said.

Armitage pleaded guilty to four charges at Lincoln Crown Court.

'Dangerous offender'

In 2019, the court heard Armitage, who has previous convictions for offences against two young girls, had initially contacted "Ellie" on a dating app for over 18s.

However, she told him she was only 14 but he persisted and said he wanted to meet her for sex.

He suggested he would contact her school pretending to be her father and arrange for her to have a week off.

But "Ellie" was actually a member of the Net Justice Group using a fake profile, the court was told.

When he arrived in Newcastle he was confronted and then arrested.

The 45-year-old, who has been behind bars since November 2022, was sentenced on Tuesday after admitting three counts of possessing indecent child images and one of breaching a SHPO at previous court hearings on 3 May and 6 February respectively.

Following his sentencing, Det Sgt Jann Olsen, of Lincolnshire Police, described Armitage as "a dangerous offender" and said "this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire".

Follow BBC Lincolnshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]