Pervert avoids prison after grooming girl online


A man who groomed what he believed was a schoolgirl online has escaped a prison sentence after he was caught in a paedophile hunting team sting
Jason Siddall, 46 of Slough appeared at Guildford Crown Court where he admitted several sexual offences including:

Sexual communication with a child
Attempting to meet a female child following sexual grooming
Sending pornographic images to a female child

The court was told that Siddall had contacted what he believed was the online profile of a young girl.
Immediately after the contact was made by Siddall, the girl stated her age as 15

Over the course of the next eight days, he sent a string of sexual messages and naked photographs of himself and went onto arrange to meet the girl for sexual activity

However, the girl did not exist and was instead an adult member of paedophile hunting team ‘Camberley Catchers’ who pose online as children to catch sexual predators.

The team turned up at the arranged meet and confronted Siddall, where they questioned him on his online activity. The police were called and Siddall was arrested at the scene

The judge handed Siddall a three year community order

Siddall was ordered to attend a sexual accredited programme for a period of 100 days

Siddall received a five year sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders register

£2000 in court costs and an £85 surcharge was also imposed