Man caught in paedophile hunter sting escapes immediate jail sentence
A 59-year-old man who sent sexual messages to someone who said she was 14 was caught by a paedophile hunter sting.
David Smout, now 62, who lives off the A49 main road through Dorrington, admitted charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity when believing a child was present and possessing an extreme pornographic image.
He was given a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work and 30 hours rehabilitation activity.
Judge Peter Barrie also issued a sexual harm prevention order at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Monday.
Prosecutor Mr Philip Clemo said a person volunteering for the group, Keep Kids Safe, began engaging in messages with Smout online saying that she was a 14-year-old girl.
Smout's messages were of a sexual nature, he said, despite several mentions that the '14-year-old' was at school or in lessons.
The messages carried on for 17 days before they were reported to the police.
Mrs Debra White, for Smout, said her client was genuinely remorseful.
He said he believed the person that he was messaging was older and pretending to be 14, she said.
The offences took place three years ago and Smout had been undergoing counselling to help ensure he never offended again.
Judge Peter Barrie said that if the person had been 14 the damage to her mental health would have been long-lasting.
The persistence of the message over 17 days was an aggravating feature, he said.
