Man snared by paedophile hunters for trying to meet and have sex with 'girl, 13' is sentenced

Shrewsbury Crown Court was told that the Shropshire man had been caught after he arranged to meet a woman on an unrelated matter, but she turned out to be a paedophile hunter and police were called to get him.

The judge gave Mark Stanley Lewis a nine-month custodial sentence but suspended it for two years after hearing that he had pleaded guilty to two counts, one of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and the other of attempted sexual communication with a child.

Robert Edwards, prosecuting, told the court on Monday that Lewis had sent an unsolicited message to someone he had believed to be a 13-year-old schoolgirl.

Lewis then engaged in online sexualised chat and a meeting was arranged at a cafe.

The meeting in June 2021 was live streamed on the internet, the court was told.

Mr Edwards told the court that when Lewis was arrested by PC Harris he had been shaking and scared.

His phone revealed the evidence but after he had been arrested on June 21, 2021, there was a long delay in resolving issues in the case.

Olivia Appleby, mitigating, said Lewis, of Newcastle, near Clun, was cared for by his mum in a small community where everyone knows what others are doing.