August 2020

Pervert who set up fake accounts to groom children snared by paedophile hunter and undercover cop

A paedophile who set up fake accounts and thought he was grooming two young girls, sending them explicit messages, was jailed today.

However Arron Butler was in fact talking to a paedophile hunter and an undercover police officer, who were posing as underage teenage females, Mold Crown Court heard.

The 35-year-old of Cheriton Close, Connah’s Quay, Flintshire, admitted three charges – one of inciting a child to commit sexual activity and two of causing a child to watch a sexual act.

A fourth charge of attempting to engage with a child in a sexually explicit conversation, was allowed to lie on file.

Although there was no victim, Butler was sentenced to 20 months in prison today by Judge Niclas Parry.

Prosecutiing, Simon Rogers, said Butler had set up a fake account of a woman running a modelling agency, to target his first 14-year-old “victim” in 2018.

He sent explicit messages and images and put pressure on the victim to supply photos, but it turned out to be a paedophile hunter.

The police were called and Butler was arrested.

Mr Rogers said he appeared before magistrates in Mold in June this year and was committed to the Crown Court for sentencing.

However just 10 days after that, he contacted another 13-year-old “victim”, with a different fake account, where he used a photo of an ex-partner and daughter.

Butler again sent explicit messages, encouraging her to send a photo and perform sex acts, but this time it turned out to be an undercover cop and he was arrested again.

Butler was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, prohibiting him from contacting girls aged under, 16 unless under strict conditions.

He is also bared from deleting history and must tell the authorities if he changes any communication devices.

He was also given a restraining order not to contact his former partner for five years.