Paedophile agreed to travel to have sex with girl

Darron Wilkinson was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court

A paedophile who repeatedly ended sexual messages to what he thought was a 12-year-old girl with "LOL" agreed to travel 200 miles to have sex with her, a court has heard.

Darron Wilkinson, 50, sent multiple messages to what turned out to be an undercover police officer, ending many when discussing graphic acts with the text abbreviation for "laughing out loud", Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He also agreed to travel from his home in Murton, County Durham, to Coventry to have sex with her, although he did not make the journey.

Wilkinson was jailed for two years, suspended for two years, after admitting three child sex offences.

Wilkinson contacted the profile of a 12-year-old girl on Chatiw on 7 August last year, with the pair quickly moving on to WhatsApp, prosecutor Saba Shan said.

The profile was actually being run by an undercover police officer, the court heard.

Wilkinson began by asking what the girl was wearing before asking for pictures of her, Ms Shan said.

He also asked her if she had a boyfriend and about "making love", the court heard, an example of one question being: "Have you done it (sex) LOL?"

Wilkinson talked about his desire to have sex with the girl, trying to allay any fears she had about getting pregnant, Ms Shan said.

He arranged to meet her on 16 August in Coventry, a 200-mile drive from his home, and asked her to wear a dress and "sexy underwear" in readiness for having sex in a cluster of trees, the court heard.

Wilkinson said he was "nervous and excited" about the encounter and again ended messages with "LOL" when discussing detailed sex acts, Ms Shan said.

'Denial and bewilderment'

After being arrested at his home, Wilkinson denied any wrongdoing and said he had left his phone at his workplace on 9 August, the court heard.

When it was pointed out the sexual conversations began two days earlier, he replied no comment, Ms Shan said.

In mitigation, Tony Cornberg said Wilkinson was socially isolated and had no intention to go through with the meeting, as evidenced by the delivery driver going on holiday to Blackpool instead of the arranged journey to Coventry.

He said Wilkinson was in denial and "bewilderment" about the offending, to the point that he drove to court on the day of his sentencing with no arrangements for anyone else to take his car home as he had not realised he could be imprisoned.

Wilkinson admitted attempting to engage a child in sexual communication and incite a child to to engage in sexual activity, as well as arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

His suspended sentence will include work with the probation service to address his offending, the court heard.