AN internet chatroom pervert was snared by a paedophile hunter who posed as a girl aged 14, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Railway enthusiast Andrew Raine was on bail for a similar offence when he attempted to incite a child into sexual activity and was caught with an indecent movie and photographs.

Raine, 32, of Ramshaw Drive, Skipton, was described as socially awkward and sad and lonely by his barrister, Stephen Wood yesterday.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity in November last year.

Raine had previously admitted inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and three offences of possession of indecent images of children.

Prosecutor David Bradshaw told the court that Raine engaged in sexual internet chat with two boys, aged 12 and 13, in February, 2016.

He thought he was talking to an underage girl and asked for "dirty photos" and fetishist pictures of feet.

The boys reported him to the police and Raine was traced to his address in Skipton on March 1 last year.

He had an appropriate adult with him when he was questioned by the police but he declined to give any answers.

Officers searching his home found a Category A indecent movie of a child, a Category B photo and 46 child abuse images at Category C.

While on bail, Raine was drawn into internet chat by a self-proclaimed paedophile hunter posing as a girl of 14.

Mr Bradshaw said Raine attempted to engage the "girl" in sexual conversation but may have then realised he was talking to a man.

Mr Wood said Raine was physically disabled, struggling to cope and led a sad and lonely existence. He sought out "friends" in the virtual world and held conversations with sexual connotations but he had never tried to meet up with a child.

Raine had no previous convictions and Mr Wood urged the court to make an order enabling him to be treated in the community.

"The root cause of his offending can be addressed and he can be turned away from these highly inappropriate convesations," Mr Wood said.

Judge Neil Davey QC sentenced Raine to a three year community order with an accredited sex offender treatment programme.

He must sign on the sex offender register for five years and the judge made a five year Sexual Harm Prevention Order barring Raine from having any unsupervised contact with children and from working with them. His use of computers will also be regulated.

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