Paedophile jailed after being caught by decoy group

Jamie Smith, of Halliday Close, Birchwood, also told the ‘girl’ that he wants to be the man who teaches her everything she knows about sex.

But he was actually talking to two decoy accounts run by people from a paedophile hunting group, Cobra UK.

The 44-year-old appeared before Liverpool Crown Court via video link today, Monday, after pleading guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and attempting to meet a child after grooming.

Natalia Cornwall, prosecuting, told the court how the first offence happened in August last year when Smith messaged who he believed was a 13-year-old girl called Becky saying: “Hi sexy, how are you?”

He told the girl he was called John and had a picture of himself with a naked torso.

Smith told Becky that he is a ‘nonce paedo’ and that he was a sex offender who had been convicted for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

There was general conversation between the pair, but this soon turned sexual as Smith told the teen if she was in her underwear he would ‘well want to look and even feel’.

He also told her he had been drinking and was doing ‘silly things’ like trying on knickers, tights and miniskirts.

He arranged to meet up with Becky, but nothing came of this.

The next offence was committed on October 25 last year when Smith began messaging another decoy, Darcy.

Darcy received a message from Smith who was calling her sexy and said he could imagine her performing oral sex on him.

Again, he described himself as a paedophile and said the girl is ‘hot’ for a 14-year-old and has a ‘good body’.

Ms Cornwall said how he spoke about oral sex with girls who are of her age and told her: “If you were here with me now, I’d well be thinking about touching you.

Liverpool Crown Court

“I want to be the man who teaches you everything you know about sex.”

He also sent her a sexual photo.

The court heard how Smith said to Darcy he knows he is ‘grooming a minor’ and finished the sentence with ‘lol’.

Smith made plans to meet the teen multiple times, but nothing happened.

He also suggested Darcy coming to his address and staying the night and told her to get off the bus at Manchester Road.

Members of the decoy group then attended his address and confronted him before he was arrested.

When arrested, he told police that he knew the accounts were decoys and he only engaged with them to get ‘cheap thrills’.

The third offence, attempting to meet a child after grooming, was committed between October 28 and November 6, 2021.

Ms Cornwalll told the court how Smith has no previous convictions but received a caution in 2005 following sexual assault involving a 15-year-old girl.

Defending, Phillip Tully said how Smith accepts that any court would see these as ‘serious’ offences.

But he said that a mitigating factor is the fact that all three offences were attempts and that the girls were not real children and instead decoys – so he asked the court to consider suspending Smith’s ‘inevitable’ custodial sentence.

Mr Tully said: “This is a case where there is genuine remorse from Mr Smith.

“He has shown insight into his offending.

“He is a man with a good work record and clearly capable of leading a constructive life.”

The court also heard that shortly before the offences were committed, Smith’s dad had passed away which had a ‘profound’ effect on him.

Concluding, judge Richard Pratt QC, said that the offences are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.

He said that although the girls were decoys, in Smith’s mind – he was still ‘dealing with two different children’.

Smith was handed a prison sentence of two years and three months.

He was also issued a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.