May 2012

Pervert painted room pink to lure girl, 12, into sex activity

A PERVERT who decorated his room in pink with posters of teen TV idol Hannah Montana after contacting young girls has been sent to prison indefinitely for inciting a 12-year-old to engage in sexual activity.

Craig Simon Halliday was made the subject of a special sentence of imprisonment for public protection after pleading guilty at Swansea Crown Court.

He also admitted two offences of breaching a sexual offences prevention order prohibiting him from communicating with girls under the age of 17.

The court heard how Halliday committed the offences last year after contacting the 12-year-old and a 14-year-old via social networking sites.

He carried out the offences in breach of a community order imposed on him at the same court two years ago.

At that hearing in July 2010, the court heard how he decorated a room at his home in pink in 2008 and put up Hannah Montana posters after contacting a 14-year-old girl through the internet in a way that was “clearly designed to incite her into a sexual relationship with him”.

In May 2008 the defendant paid for the girl to travel 200 miles by taxi from her home in Chesterfield.

But Swansea police became involved after being forewarned about the visit.

The following January the defendant arranged for him and the girl — who was then 15 — to spend a night at a Chesterfield hotel, the court heard.

An affray offence happened later when police went to arrest him and he brandished a large knife and had to be forcibly disarmed.

On that occasion Halliday pleaded guilty to meeting the teenage girl after sexual grooming, plus engaging in sexual activity with her.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children and he further admitted using or threatening unlawful violence in an affray.

But Halliday avoided a prison sentence in 2010 after the court heard he had spent 17 months behind bars on remand — the equivalent, with remission taken into account, of a term of almost three years.

Judge Keith Thomas said Halliday, formerly of Weig Gardens, Gendros, would have to serve a minimum of three years behind bars before becoming eligible to apply for parole.

He said he would only be released at that stage if the Parole Board considered it safe for this to happen.