Man caught in paedophile hunters' sting operation
- Published
Way had also breached a sexual harm prevention order, the court heard
A man was caught in an online sting by vigilante paedophile hunters, a court has heard.
Andrew Way, 61, of Clwyd Wen, Wrexham, admitted trying to engage in sexual communication with a child of 14 and had repeatedly breached a sexual harm prevention order.
The court heard vigilantes set up fake profile of a boy of 14 and Way claimed he was 27 when he got in touch.
During the hearing at Caernarfon Crown Court, Way was jailed for 34 months.
Prosecutor Laura Knightly said Way had a sexual harm prevention order from 2007 but he had unsupervised contact with young children, a two-year-old's mother being unaware of the order.
Dafydd Roberts, defending, said Way was having health problems and understood the sentence would be immediate imprisonment.
Judge Niclas Parry said Way had "utter disregard" for court orders.
"These were serious and persistent and different breaches," the judge remarked.
A fresh sexual harm prevention order was made.
Update 25 August 2023: An earlier version of this story made reference to details not reported in court and has been updated accordingly.