A predatory paedophile caught trying to groom girls on Facebook was confronted on camera by a vigilante group.
This week, convicted sex offender Lee Parry, 37, walked free from court after arguing there were no ‘real’ victims of his offending.
Back in June, the Manchester native was exposed by paedophile hunters after he repeatedly sent pornographic pictures of himself to an investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl.
During months of exchanges Parry asked if he could take the ‘girl’ out for a milkshake told her she was ‘cute’, ‘sexy’ and he wanted to be her ‘first’ and added: ‘I will be a dirty b*****d.’
Parry, shown outside court, will also have to complete 240 hours unpaid work and was ordered to abide by Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sign Sex Offenders register for 10 years
Later, when confronted at his home by members of the Catching Online Predators (COP) group, Parry – who had been convicted of molesting a 15-year-old girl in his teens – began scuffling with the investigators and embarked on a foul mouthed rant at them as his citizen’s arrest was live-streamed on the social media site.
In his defiant outburst Parry claimed he was trying to ‘protect’ the youngsters ‘from weirdos’ and declared: ‘I’ve done wrong. I’m not a f****** nonce. There are loads of d*** pix on Facebook. She shouldn’t have been on Facebook in the first place.’
He added angrily: ‘Why are you trying to sew me up. It’s absolutely disgraceful that you come round to my home to humiliate me in front of everybody. I’m not bothered. Film me and follow me all you like. I’m a decent guy. I’m not a pervert. I’m the same as you. I’ve done f*** all wrong.’
The confrontation was viewed 113,000 times on Facebook and sparked an angry response against Parry by neighbours in Droyslden, Greater Manchester.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Parry admitted attempting to cause a child to watch images of sexual activity, attempted sexual communications with a child and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.
Prosecutor Miss Lisa Boocock said: ‘Conversations started on April 14 with the defendant being told immediately she was 14 and he saying he was 25. Parry being confronted, shown
But he was sentenced to 12 months jail suspended for two years after saying the children were ‘fictitious’ and no harm was caused.
Judge Tina Landale told him: ‘It is clear you have a sexual interest in children, and you communicated with those two people over a period of time – the second child for five months, the first for just over one month.
‘You tried to get them to meet you by offering to buy them things and sent them photographs of your erect penis and you tried to get them to send you pictures of themselves.
‘Fortunately, these were not real children but you were confronted by overwhelming evidence of your activities. The pre-sentence report says that you are a highly manipulative person and by behaving in this way you intended to groom children into meeting you for sexual purposes and I agree with that assessment.
Parry began scuffling with the online investigators and embarked on a foul mouthed rant at them as his citizen’s arrest was live-streamed on Facebook
‘It says unless you meaningfully engage in treatment, further offending is inevitable.
‘I have had to decide whether you are capable of meaningfully engaging with treatment and I have borne in mind that it seems you are not remorseful and expressed to the probation service the view you didn’t believe you had done anything wrong.
‘Your defence says you can be rehabilitated if you do engage, and that you didn’t actually cause real harm to actual children. Looking at the whole of the circumstances I am persuaded that the sentence of imprisonment can be suspended today.
‘If I’m wrong and you don’t meaningfully engage with these programs, I will send you to custody.’
The investigation began last year after Parry began sending messages two fake profiles purporting to be 14-year-old girls which were set up on Facebook by the paedophile hunters group.
An investigation began last year after Parry began sending messages two two fake profiles purporting to be 14-year-old girls which were set up by the paedophile hunters group
Prosecutor Miss Lisa Boocock said: ‘Conversations started on April 14 with the defendant being told immediately she was 14 and he saying he was 25.
‘The communication continued for just over a month and the messages fairly quickly moved into grooming behaviour calling the child ‘cute’, ‘sweet’ and ‘sexy’ saying he would like to ‘cuddle her’ and wanted to meet up.
‘He asked her would she please meet up with him and he would look after her, buy her things, buy her train tickets and take her to the cinema.’
Prosecution added that on April 27, Parry sent explicit images with increasingly lewd messages.
‘He said: “Don’t tell anyone” and she responded in typical childish fashion saying it was ‘horrid’ and she was not interested. But he said: ‘I wish you would take a sexy picture for me’ She was saying: ‘I am 14’.
Pictured is Lee Parry being confronted by the Catching Online Predators group. In a defiant outburst Parry claimed he was trying to ‘protect’ the youngsters he has been chatting to
‘On May 6 he sent seven further images and that concluded their interaction. As regards the other profile, the conversation went on for a period of five months with the sexual communications exchanged in very similar terms asking about her day, telling her she’s beautiful, inviting her to Manchester and offering to buy her things.
‘There was discussion about him wanting him to be her ‘first time’ and telling her ‘not to accept dirty pictures from older men, not to talk to other boys and just to talk to him’. After a long exchange he said: ‘I will be a dirty b******’ and sent pictures of his own erect penis – that concluded that exchange.
‘On June 2 the group attended his home and confronted him with the messages. Soon there was an almighty upset in the area with local residents becoming aware and shouting abuse with many people being very upset about what the defendant had done.
Parry has one previous conviction for having sex with a girl aged 15 when he was 16
‘In police interview he later accepted sending messages but said he was doing it out of a desire to protect the young girls rather than any sexual motivation. He said he was drunk and very lonely at the time but there is a fairly concerted effort on his part to meet up with the young girls.’
Parry has one previous conviction for having sex with a girl aged 15 when he was 16. Defence barrister Mark Fireman said: ‘These offences are attempts and the children involved are fictitious.
‘He says to me the proceedings have had a significant and detrimental effect on his mental health. He is somebody who is extremely isolated and rather lonely and there is a level of immaturity and isolation. He is very anxious to comply with any order and get help for any problem.’
Parry will also have to complete 240 hours unpaid work and was ordered to abide by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sign the Sex Offenders register for 10 years.