Pervert snared by undercover police officer

A pervert bragged about having sex in a supermarket and cinema during conversations with an undercover cop who he thought was a child.

Michael Cook believed he was chatting to a 14-year-old girl on a social media site and boasted he had been "frisky in a supermarket" and had sex in a cinema and asked what was the "naughtiest" thing she had done.

Newcastle Crown Court heard during graphic conversations, Cook asked the child if she wanted to lose her virginity, talked about leggings and thongs and arranged to meet her at Kingston Park in Newcastle.

Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw told the court an undercover police officer was behind the fake child profile, which had been set up to detect online sexual exploitation.

Cook was confronted by the police when he arrived at the meeting point and claimed "she said she was 16", despite being told from the outset he was talking to an underage teen.

Officers found condoms in his car.

Cook, 48, of Arcadie, Ouston, Durham, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a child following grooming.

The court heard Cook engaged in a total of nine conversations with the profile between November 11 and November 26, 2021.

Andrew Walker, defending, said Cook, who has never been in trouble before, was going through "multiple work and life stresses" at the time of the offences, had suffered bereavements and was isolated due to the pandemic.

Mr Recorder Richard Wright KC told Cook: "You believed you were talking to and arranging to meet, for sex, a 14-year-old child.

"You say were you isolated through the covid pandemic but so were most people.

"I am quite satisfied from everything I have read that what underpins these offences is a deviant sexual attitude held by you which, had this been a child, you may well have seen through to its inevitable conclusion." Recorder Wright sentenced Cook to 18 months, suspended for two years, with 200 hours unpaid work and rehabilitation requirements.

Cook must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Ian Beecroft from Northumbria Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team said: "Our work to protect the vulnerable from predators both online and in the community is a top priority for the Force and we make no apologies for our continued activity in this area.

"Our investigation caught Cook sending messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, and he had no issues with that. He was even prepared to meet up with her knowing she was underage.

"This type of abuse will not be tolerated and thanks to a thorough investigation, a file was presented before the Crown Prosecution Service, which left Cook no other option but to admit his guilt.

"We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of this type of abuse to come forward and speak to us. We take these types of reports incredibly seriously and you will be supported."