These men believed they had an excuse for exploiting children. From being "lonely" to "testing" children by coaxing them into sending sexual images, these men all believed they had an excuse for exploiting children.
When they were busted they offered up a string of 'reasons' for their actions, but it was to no avail. The following were all convicted of crimes against children, from exchanging sexual images to prolonged abuse that robbed victims of their innocence.
Some fell into traps set by vigilante groups who pose as youngsters online to trick paedophiles and get them off the streets. Appearing before courts across Cambridgeshire, the men all received punishments for their crimes, from an eight-year prison sentence to community orders. A paedophile who was hunted down by a vigilante group after trying to meet a year-old girl told police he knew the 'child' he was speaking to was not real. Raymond Read, 58, of Burton End, Haverhill, was trapped by the group who target sex offenders after he arranged to meet what he thought was a year-old girl in Cambridge in December Read pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming at Ipswich Crown Court on June 27, The court heard that Read had travelled to Cambridge after arranging a meeting with what he believed to be a year-old girl before being subjected to a citizens arrest by members of the vigilante group.
Prosecuting, Simon Gladwell said the group had used a fake online profile to chat with Read, who was unaware that the 'girl' he had spoken to about sex was not real. Judge John Devaux sentenced Read, who appeared in court via a video link from prison, to 14 months in prison and ordered him to sign the sexual offences register for 10 years.
A paedophile who sent inappropriate messages to a 'year-old girl' claimed he was only testing her when 'she' refused to send him sexual images. Hidden in his car glove box was a contact taser, which is sometimes used by police to temporarily immobilise someone long enough to restrain them.
