September 2020

Paedophile who performed sex act in front of undercover cop posing as 13-year-old girl ‘has two personalities’

A paedophile who posed as a younger man online to have sexual chats with a child was caught by an undercover police officer.

Steven Marchington, of Chadderton in Oldham, thought he was speaking to a teenage girl when he performed a sex act on himself over webchat.

In fact it was an undercover officer who had joined the online forum for teenagers, posing as 13-year-old ‘Holly’.

Manchester Crown Court heard Marchington messaged the undercover officer under the username David UK, saying he was a 22-year-old man.

He was in fact 57 at the time, in January 2018.

He told the officer he was a ‘horny guy’, Manchester Crown Court heard.

“She asked if he minded if she was a 13-year-old girl. The offender replied ‘as long as you are ok with it”, Daniel Caulder, prosecuting, told the court on Wednesday.

“In the course of the conversation, the defendant said he needed to relieve himself. He continued to talk about (performing a sex act on himself).”

He then asked ‘Holly’ if she wanted to chat to him on video chat on another website, which the officer refused.

On another occasion, in February 2018, the same undercover officer was approached by the defendant, again with the username ‘David UK’ on the same platform.

“He offered to put on his web cam. He lifted his t-shirt and started to rub his nipples. He said they were getting hard.”

He then performed the sex act on himself, before asking her lewd questions.

The defendant was arrested on March 4 last year.

Marchington, of Cathedral Road, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual conversations with a child.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

The court heard he had previous convictions, in 1985 and 1999 for indecent exposure, one of which resulted in a caution.

Recorder Tom Gilbart told Marchington that what he did was ‘horrendous’.

He said: “You say you are disgusted and ashamed and have a compulsion to expose yourself. You should be totally ashamed of yourself. Thankfully this was not a child.”

He sentenced him to a 16 month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He also ordered him to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work.

Marchington must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.