Paedophile sent naked shower selfie to ’14-year-old girl’ nabbed by vigilante group
Sick James Hansom, 37, was caught after he asked 'girl' to masturbate while chatting on Facebook
A PAEDOPHILE who sent a shower selfie to what he thought was a teenage girl has been snared by a vigilante paedophile hunter.
Sick James Hansom, 37, believed he was talking to a 14-year-old girl when he sent the picture and also encouraged her to masturbate while chatting on Facebook.
The pervert, who is engaged to be married, said to the fictional girl "can I ask you to touch yourself now...on ur privates" before sending the nude picture of himself.
Insistent Hansom spent six weeks trying to talk to a Facebook profile created to resemble a 14-year-old girl called Ellie before giving up and unfriending her.
His obscene conversations were logged by a vigilante group called the Online Predator Investigation Team, who passed the details onto the police.
Hanson, of Weston-super-Mare, pleaded guilty to attempting to a charge of incite a child to engage in sexual activity in January 2015.
Jennifer Tallentire, prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court, said: "It was created in order to give information to police in a preventative way. There was no 'Ellie'.
"The defendant made contact with her via Facebook. He knew she was 14. Her date of birth was 24.11.2000. He was 37 at the time."
Kerry Barker, defending, said: "This was totally out of character."
His mother-in-law-to-be told the court: "He's a great guy, honest and hard-working.
"This is out of character for James. He is generous and helpful. He'll do anything to help anybody."
Another character witness described Hanson as 'clumsy and gullible', saying he once deep fat fried a pasty.
Judge Julian Lambert handed Hanson a two-year-community order, with 120 hours of unpaid work and 60 days' rehabilitation.
The judge told him: "There was no child. But the seriousness is there might have been such a child.
"It came to light by concerned citizens good enough to monitor the internet for people like you.
The judge handed Hanson a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, banning him from unchecked internet use.
After the hearing a spokesman for Online Predator Investigation Team, told the Bristol Post that they were "truly disappointed" with the sentence.
He said: "The inconsistency of the courts is outstanding. A guy we caught in Sheffield was sent down for three years. Another in Newcastle got one year. It is a joke.
"Many thanks to Avon and Somerset police, who took great care and were thorough in their work."
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