A man who sent videos of himself in sexual poses and masturbating to paedophile hunters while thinking he was speaking to a 13 year-old girl has escaped jail.
Danny John Byrne, 23, of Stryt-Issa in Penycae, Wrexham had been found guilty on June 1 this year of 10 offences, including three charges of making indecent photographs and five of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.
Deputy District Judge David Hale sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years.
During his sentencing at Mold Crown Court today (Friday) prosecutor Ryan Rothwell said Byrne had been caught out on websites by the ‘Guardians of the North’ - a vigilante group formed to expose paedophiles online.
Members of the group set up a fictitious profile online which they used to pose as a 13 year-old girl.
After some “inane chatter” with Byrne, things stepped up on August 24 last year.
Mr Rothwell said: “He (Byrne) said ‘hey baby, what you doing gorgeous?’.
“She said she was on her own.”
Byrne asked what she was doing all alone and sent four videos of himself both in the shower and masturbating - followed by another nine videos of himself in total.
He asked the fictitious girl to send him pictures after which group who set up the trap sent details to police.
They arrested Byrne at an address in Ewloe .
Byrne told police he couldn’t remember any of the conversations that were sexual references but could remember others.
On one of his phones, police found 118 photographs depicting extreme pornography.
Mr Rothwell added: “He has a sexual interest in girls under 13 and in bestiality.”
Sentencing Byrne to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, Deputy District Judge David Hale said: “You have no business talking to a 13 year-old girl, someone you thought was a 13 year-old girl.
“You have no business looking at porn - people having sex with animals.
“You must be quite afraid of going to prison.
“Are you afraid of it? You should be - you would have a very hard time in there.
“I am suspending sentence today but you have it in mind that if you do anything like this again you will go to prison. You must never do anything like this again.
“If this had been a real child of 13 you would have gone to prison.”
In addition to his sentence Byrne was placed on the sexual offenders register for 10 years, made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and ordered not to contact any child under 16.
