A paedophile who sent nude pictures to three “little girls” online turned down his right to a defence in court as he told the judge “I’m sorry for what I’ve done”.
Danny McCarthy, 49, messaged three 13 and 14-year-old “girls” on Facebook and Whatsapp while in Litherland in September 2021, sending them indecent images and videos believed to show him performing a sex act. But he had no idea he was actually chatting with three adults from a Northumbria-based “paedophile hunter” group, who made up the young girls as decoys.
McCarthy was then confronted by the group on the doorstep of the home he shared with his wife when he returned from a shopping trip.
READ MORE: Teenager attacked with machete after being ambushed by thugs
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, August 16, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and three counts of attempting to cause a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said: “The offences all arose during the course of a week in the middle of September 2021. The defendant went online, initially on Facebook messenger and then on other platforms, making contact with the profiles of three persons who, on the face of it, were either 13 or 14-year-old girls.
“In each case during that short period the defendant’s initial interaction was friendly. It then became flirty and then the conversation quickly turned sexual. Soon after that, the defendant was then sending photographs of himself. There’s a certain naivety about the way the defendant has conducted these offences, because not only has he sent images of his own face, but he also indicated his name, his age and his address.”
This enabled the group to attend McCarthy’s family home. The sting operation and subsequent arrest were broadcast live online.
McCarthy, who now lives alone in a flat in Selby, North Yorkshire, declined his right to legal representation in court, saying: “I just want to get myself over and done with so that my family can have closure.”
He said: “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I’m just sorry for all the hurt and aggravation I have caused my family and everyone else involved.”
Judge Andrew Menary said: “There’s nothing sophisticated about this offending and there’s plainly a bit of naivety about it. You made no attempts to hide your identity. Nonetheless this was deliberate activity involving people you believed to be young children.”
He sentenced McCarthy to a total of 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He must also complete the Horizon programme for medium risk sex offenders, attend 20 days rehabilitation, and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years, with a five year sexual harm prevention order.
Get the latest crime reports and investigations from Merseyside by signing up to our newsletter
Click Here For The Original Source.
