A married man sent who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl an indecent picture out of 'boredom' as he explored a 'fantasy' - before his wife answered the door to members of vigilante group 'Justice4Kids'.
Vincent Allott, 64, had been speaking to the 'girl' for a number of weeks before sending the image.
The conversation was initially 'polite and friendly' but Allott, from Withington, started asking sexual questions.
Manchester Crown Court heard he then sent the 'girl' an explicit picture of a man and woman engaging in sexual acts.
The 'Justice4Kids' went to his house and confronted him, telling him one of their representatives had posed as the child.
They later called police and Allott was arrested.
He pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child; and attempting to cause a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity.
He was handed a three-year community order.
Prosecuting, Saul Brody earlier told the court that on January 6 2018, police were contacted by the group.
"The group used an adult decoy to engage with the defendant on a website, with the decoy pretending to be a 13-year-old girl called 'Kara'," Mr Brody said.
"The defendant engaged with the profile of the adult decoy who said she was 13 from December 28, 2017 to January 6 2018.
"During the early stages, the talking was polite and friendly but soon the defendant began asking questions of a sexual nature.
"He then went on to send 'Kara' an explicit photograph of a naked female and naked male.
"He was arrested and taken to Central Park police station where he was interviewed on the same day.
"He admitted the person who was talking to ‘Kara’ was him.
"He said he thought she was 16 or 17 and he went on to admit he sent the picture to her."
Allott has previous convictions, the most recent dating back to 1996, of an unrelated nature.
Defence lawyer Clare Ashcroft told the court her client has anxiety, as well as a number of physical health issues.
"He tells me this was borne out of a degree of boredom and I think some degree of fantasy," she added.
"He told the girls he was a baker and owned a bakery.
"He said when one of the girls went to search for the address of the bakery on Google he said 'don’t, I've made it up'. He is remorseful.
"He has a wife and a long standing marriage.
"She unfortunately opened the door to the group when they came to confront him.
"She has been suffering a lot because of that and she felt in fear in their own home - they had to move. She is standing by him."
Sentencing Allott to a three year community order, Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said: "You engaged in inappropriate communication with this young woman, pretending to be a child.
"You also sent her a picture. On January 6 this vigilante group attended your home address and the person who had to deal with this was not you, but your wife.
"She felt terrified by this and has since been forced to move out of your house.
"There was no victim in this case, but there was potential grooming."
Allott, of Dermot Murphy Close, was also ordered to complete the Horizon Programme; made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and made to sign onto the sex offender register for five years.
