A pervert who groomed teenage girls on Instagram has been jailed after one victim’s mum turned to paedophile hunters to catch him as police were too BUSY.
Danny Patrick, 31, made contact with several underage girls via social media while using the profile name ‘Mixed Race Dan’.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the nature of the conversations soon became sexual and he even tried to meet up with one 14-year-old girl.
But the teenager told her mum about the messages, who alerted police but officers could not respond to the call until the following day.
So the mother turned to vigilantes from the Internet Interceptors for help and gave them access to her daughter’s account so they could continue to pose as the teen.
During the chats, the convicted sex offender made clear he was looking for sex and tried to arrange a meeting with the girl in a secluded wooded area.
He also sent messages asking her ‘do you want an older man as ur boyfriend’, ‘would you dress to impress me’ and telling her’ i would meet you anywhere as long as I can have you in my arms’.
Prosecutor Sati Ruck said the Interceptors suggested a more public area for the rendezvous at which they intended to confront him but he did not turn up.
The group of self-styled paedophile hunters instead handed the evidence they had collected to the police, who then arrested Patrick at his home on May 8.
The court heard Patrick, whose partner has five children, was subject of a Sexual Offender Prevention Order, which banned any unsupervised contact with anybody under 18.
This was previously imposed on October 5, 2012 after admitting two offences of making indecent images of children.
Patrick, of Finchfield, Wolverhampton, admitted attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to engage in sexual communications and two breaches of his SOPO.
Last week he was jailed for two years and five months by Judge James Burbidge QC who told him: “In 2012 a court gave you the chance to address any predilection you had for looking at young children.
“But actions speak louder than words and now your desire to have sexual relations with a child under 16 has caused significant upset and psychological harm.”
The mum said in a statement read to the court that her daughter had been badly affected by the incident.
She said: “She is confused as to why this man wanted to meet her and is now frightened to leave the house.
“She spends more time alone in her room with the curtains closed for fear of being watched.”
