A paedophile pensioner has been locked up after travelling 44 miles believing that he was going to sexually abuse a tot and her baby sister.
Hugh Galashan, aged 62, had arranged the visit after conferring with who he believed was the young girl's mother.
However, Bradford Crown Court heard on November 25 how the woman was an undercover police officer and Galashan was cuffed in Sheffield as he walked to what he thought was her home, Yorkshire Live reports.
Galashan, from Bradford, was carrying a bag on his travels containing a bag of Maltesers chocolate intended for the child, aged four, and a bottle of red wine.
Following a court trial held in September, Galashan was found guilty of 13 charges which related to him arranging to commit a series of sex offences against both of the children.
The former soldier was said to still be "in denial" about his offending, but Judge Jonathan Gibson said that, even though the children were not real, the defendant had gone a significant way along the road to meeting them and he was apprehended at "the last minute".
Barrister Matthew Harding, for Galashan, said it would be his client’s first taste of custody and, for a man of 62 convicted of such offences, it would not be an easy experience.
At his trial, Galashan claimed that the police officer brought up the topic of abusing her children and he went along with it in the hope of meeting the woman and having sex with her.
Mr Harding said that his now retired client had served his country in the army and had undertaken charity work.
In addition to jailing Galashan for four years, Judge Gibson also imposed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order which limits his use of the internet and bans him from having unsupervised contact with people under the age of 16.
Galashan will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.
Judge Gibson said that Galashan had talked about penetrative sexual intercourse with both girls during his discussions with the undercover officer and added: "The jury, by their verdicts, found that you intended to commit those offences against those children had you been able to do so."
He jailed Galashan for four years.
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