Telford grooming case man 'was meeting girl to boost her confidence'

Martin Currier, 51, of St Mark's Drive Wellington, who denies a charge of sexual grooming, said he received messages every seven minutes from "Jodie", a 13-year-old girl he had made contact with on a social networking website, asking him whether he would meet her.

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard transcripts of a police interview where bookmaker Currier said he had agreed to the girl's request and had planned to tell her he couldn't spare any more of his time.

But when he arrived at a house in Nuneaton he was confronted by members of Mr Hunter's sting organisation, which sets out to trap those grooming children for sex.

The court also heard that when arrested, Currier, a bookmaker from Telford, asked whether he was being taken into custody because of his "ill advised trip to Nuneaton".

Currier said he arranged to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl to "boost her confidence".

Sergeant David Wynn Jones told the court yesterday: "When we arrived at a betting shop in Telford in which he worked, Mr Currier said to me 'I know why you are here, is this about me going to Nuneaton?'

"I then arrested him and he clarified 'Is this about the ill advised trip to Nuneaton?'"

The jury then heard Sergeant Jones and Mr Phillip Beardwell, prosecuting, reading out the police interview with Currier.

In the interview, Currier said: "I felt Jodie was a fragile young girl. I did not want to go visit her as I thought it was wholly inappropriate. However, the texts were getting more frequent and getting a bit much.

"As she was fragile I did not want to bluntly stop it. She kept going on at me and the texts were coming every seven minutes to see if I had decided. I decided I might go over that evening and explain face-to-face I couldn't give her any more of my time.

"I did ask her if she had any sexual experience to find out what I would find. I made it clear I would not be doing anything."

He told the court he believed if he met in person it may "boost her confidence".

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that during his time on social networking sites Currier had 45,000 conversations, out of which six referenced underage girls.

Miss Kim Halsall, for Currier, said the defendant spoke to all of the people on the Badoo dating/friendship social network site – a site Currier said could only be used by over 18s.

While Currier was giving evidence in the court, Miss Halsall asked him: "Why were you on Badoo?"

Currier said: "Seven or eight years ago my confidence was very low – a relationship I was in went wrong. I thought nobody wanted me and I was spending more time at work with little reward. I found sites I could go on for friendship to make new friends."

Miss Halsalk asked him: "Did you use it to find a sexual partner?"

Currier replied: "If I wanted to meet someone for sex I could have. But you have to be 18 or over to go on the site."

The trial continues.