A BRADFORD man has been sentenced for pleading guilty to an amended charge of attempting sexual communication with a child after online and social media conversations with a 'decoy' police officer who was posing a 13-year-old teenage girl.

Andrew Porter, 54, of Lavinia Terrace, Clayton, received a six-month suspended prison sentence, a community order with 30 days rehabilitation and he was put on the sex offender register for seven years.

The original charge of engaging in sexual communication with a child, to which Porter had pleaded guilty in Magistrates Court, was vacated because a "decoy" police officer had posed as a 13-year-old girl in an online chat.

Judge Richard Mansell said to Porter: "You attempted sexual communication with a child who was in fact a police officer, so I will allow you to vacate that plea of guilty."

The judge told Porter that the charge was amended to attempted sexual communication with a child for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification, a charge in which he also then entered a plea of guilty.

The communication between Porter took place from September 4 to 6, 2019, with initial communication in an online chat and dating site and then via WhatsApp.

The two carried out their initial conversation with Porter using the profile name "Zinger".

The court heard from the Crown prosecutor that during that three-day period that Porter tried to communicate with the 'decoy' believing the person to be a 13-year-old girl.

Their conversation talked about her "soon going back to school" and she wrote "Don't report me, I'm 13".

In their conversations, Porter talked about "taking her shopping" and being "jealous of her boyfriend".

He made comments about "watching her in a changing room" and engaging is oral sexual activity.

The prosecutor also told the court that Porter "probably masturbated during their conversations gaining sexual gratification".

After West Yorkshire Police received intelligence on April 9, 2020, from a North East police operations unit, Porter was arrested at his home address on April 14, 2020.

Porter's solicitor told the court that Porter, at 54 years of age, had "no previous convictions and was a low risk of re-offending".

He also said that Porter was "generally regretful and remorseful" for his behaviour and that during the waiting time between his arrest and the court case he has "essentially been a nervous wreck for the last year".

He also told the court to consider a community order and rehabilitation as his client "wants to address his issues".

In handing down the sentence, Judge Mansell said to Porter: "You clearly believed you were speaking to a 13-year-old girl.

"You effectively enquired when the school holidays would end and at some point requested a picture. You commented she was 'hot'.

The judge said that Porter "clearly sought out the girl" and "engaged in grooming behaviour to see if she would react".

"You never once incited or encouraged her to meet you or to do anything to herself, but you simply derived gratification from sexual conversation.

"You at least contemplated taking this further and you have an unhealthy interest in teenage girls.

"But you do realise the harm you caused to who you believed was a young girl and you realise you made a mistake.

"A sentence of nine months in prison would have been appropriate, but with the guilty plea you are entitled to a one-third reduction."

Judge Mansell then gave Porter a six-month sentence which was suspended because "you are 54 years of age and of good character and you accept that you've done wrong and are willing to atone for your offending".

The judge said Porter then must comply with a community order in which he will have to "perform 30 days of one-on-one rehabilitation".

Judge Mansell said Porter is "subject to sex offender notification requirement for seven years" and must pay £425 in cost and a statutory surcharge.