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Escaping Justice.
Paedophile who tried to groom 12-year-old girl avoids jail because of coronavirus lockdown delays
A convicted paedophile found guilty of attempting to groom a 12-year-old girl has avoided prison due to a delay in his case caused by the coronavirus lockdown.
Paul Appleton, 47, had been told to expect a custodial sentence by a judge after he was found guilty of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Warwick Crown Court heard how Appleton, of Rugby, Warwickshire, sent explicit images of himself and asked the girl to "undress and play with herself” after chatting to her online – unaware his target was actually an undercover police officer.
However, on Wednesday he was spared a jail sentence at Warwick Crown Court due to delays to court cases caused by the UK going into lockdown on 23 March – and the effect the virus has had on prisons.
Instead, Appleton was handed a two year suspended sentence and ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and take part in a rehabilitation activity.
He will have to register as a sex offender for 10 years, was also made subject to a curfew between 8am and 8pm for a month and ordered to pay £800 costs.
During sentencing, Judge Anthony Potter said: "This was a pretty sustained attempt to engage in sexual activity with someone you believed to be a 12-year-old.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-lockdown-court-paedophile-warwick-122957970.html
A convicted paedophile found guilty of attempting to groom a 12-year-old girl has avoided prison due to a delay in his case caused by the coronavirus lockdown.
Paul Appleton, 47, had been told to expect a custodial sentence by a judge after he was found guilty of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Warwick Crown Court heard how Appleton, of Rugby, Warwickshire, sent explicit images of himself and asked the girl to "undress and play with herself” after chatting to her online – unaware his target was actually an undercover police officer.
However, on Wednesday he was spared a jail sentence at Warwick Crown Court due to delays to court cases caused by the UK going into lockdown on 23 March – and the effect the virus has had on prisons.
Instead, Appleton was handed a two year suspended sentence and ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and take part in a rehabilitation activity.
He will have to register as a sex offender for 10 years, was also made subject to a curfew between 8am and 8pm for a month and ordered to pay £800 costs.
During sentencing, Judge Anthony Potter said: "This was a pretty sustained attempt to engage in sexual activity with someone you believed to be a 12-year-old.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-lockdown-court-paedophile-warwick-122957970.html
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