A man who took condoms and Viagra to a planned meeting with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl — only to find he’d been caught in a police sting — has been spared immediate prison.
Carlisle Crown Court heard Thomas George Thompson — a 58-year-old married dad — began an online chat with a user who said straight away they were 13.
He confirmed his own age. Thompson’s chat swiftly became sexualised and included a host of lewd suggestions and offers.
Thompson arranged a meeting at a retail park near Derby on May 15 but was met when he arrived by police who recovered a mobile phone and laptop and found he had a packet of condoms and Viagra tablets.
When devices were analysed, a number of illegal images of children — mainly females aged 10 to 16 years of age — were found along with emails confirming hotel bookings on the date he was caught.
Thompson, previously of Penrith and latterly of Hala Road, Lancaster, and a man of previous good character, admitted four offences.
These were arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence; attempting to meet a girl under 16 years following grooming, and two counts of making indecent category B and C photographs of a child.
The court was told Thompson — who made full admissions to police — had since lost his job and was estranged from his wife of 32 years.
After hearing Thompson had proactively sought to address his issues and identified a suitable professional to provide treatment which would not be available in custody, Recorder Kate Bex QC suspended a two-year jail term for 24 months.
Thompson must complete a rehabilitation requirement and 200 hours’ unpaid work. He must sign the sex offenders’ register, and comply with the strict terms of a prevention order, both for 10 years.
