A pervert who thought he was meeting a 12-year-old girl was instead confronted by paedophile hunters.
Simon Gerrard, 49, also told the ‘girl’ if he wanted to ‘touch her up her skirt’ and asked if she’d perform a sex act on him.
But he was actually messaging a member of paedophile hunter group Innocence Project North West, who had set up a fake Facebook profile under the name Ellie-May Short.
Gerrard, of Cherry Tree Lane in Aughton, messaged the Ellie-May’s profile for five days during March 2018, during which it was stated on eight occasions that the girl was 12-years-old.
He was later contacted by another member of the group and arranged to meet her at Ormskirk Bus Station.
When he arrived there, he was confronted by the group and the police were called.
His mobile phone was confiscated and police searched his home, including carrying out checks on his desktop computer.
During those searches, the conversations with the profile were found but no evidence of any further inappropriate activity was uncovered.
The prosecution told Preston Magistrates Court: “The conversation continued for five days. It was stated eight times that the person Mr Gerrard thought he was communicating with was 12 years of age.
“She was asked if she would be his girlfriend, if he could give her his mobile phone number.
“He asked if she wore knickers and short skirts to school and stated he wanted to touch up her skirt.
“He asked if she wanted to have sex with him, if she liked older men and if she would [perform a sex act].”
Gerrard, who is in receipt of disability living allowance, was arrested at the bus station and the leader of the hunting group provided the police with printouts of the conversations, which filled 28 pages.
Defending, David Woods said Gerrard was of previously good character and had not committed any other offence before or since this incident.
He added that Gerrard had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was very remorseful for his actions and feared he would end up in prison.
Mr Woods said: “Part of this offence is a result of social isolation. He’s trying to contact other people, trying to make sense of his situation.”
Gerrard was given a 12 month community order, ordered to carry out 25 days of rehabilitation activities and given a six week curfew.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register for five years, given a sexual harm prevention order lasting the same time period and fined £170.
