HGV driver caught in police sting when he tried to have sex chat with girl

Jason Skinner sent graphic pictures and videos of himself to who he thought was a schoolgirl but was in fact an undercover officer.

The 42-year-old told the profile "girls your age are such a turn-on" and "best not to tell anyone we've been chatting lol" before asking her for inappropriate pictures.

Skinner also suggested she engaged in a solo sexual act and proposed they went to a hotel and have sex but no arrangements were made.

During sentencing, Judge Stephen Earl said that conversations between the pair began on a messaging platform in February 2019, before they continued on another site.

The court heard that the undercover officer informed Skinner at an early stage he was talking to a 13-year-old girl and not an adult that was originally stated in her profile.

The defendant continued with the inappropriate chats which led police to raid his home at Regent Road in Jarrow, where they seized his phone and discovered 16 category C images of children.

The judge said: "The last message was sent on the 1st of March but there was no reply. There was 66 pages of chat logs.

"There is a continued aggravating feature in relation to the nature of the chat on these chat logs where it's quite clear what his intentions were.

"In interview the defendant said he was a fantasist."

Skinner, now of Deckham Terrace, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, two of attempting tocause a child to watch sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual conversation with a child and making indecent images of children.

Sam Faulks, mitigating, said that Skinner is "someone who can be worked with" and is in a stable relationship with a stable home.

Mr Faulks added: "The stability is in peril with an immediate custodial sentence.

"Remove the stability and the risk increases. Allow the stability to endure and the risk diminishes."

Mr Faulks said Skinner has worked all of his adult life and added: "An HGV driver, at the moment, is something almost like a public service."

However, the judge said the offences were so serious that only a immediate term of custody could be imposed and jailed Skinner for two years.

He added: "These offences are so significant in nature, albeit during a relatively short period, that an immediate sentence is appropriate.

"I can't and I will not suspend the sentence I intend to impose today."