A guy, Martin Woodward Conwy paedophile, scheduled a rendezvous with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl at a retail establishment to engage in sexual activity. However, unbeknownst to him, the supposed girl was actually an undercover police officer. Martin Woodward, a resident of Conwy, arranged the encounter but ultimately failed to follow through.
However, he then reached out to Leah, who was an undercover police officer, and his online activities were subsequently traced. Police officers visited his residence in the remote community of Llanfairtalhaiarn early in the morning and apprehended him.
The accused admitted to orchestrating or enabling the perpetration of a child sex offence, namely sexual assault on a minor. The defendant was sentenced to five years and four months by a judge at Caernarfon Crown Court.
Prosecutor John Philpotts stated that on June 20, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit identified a user named Woody84 on the Chat 1B platform. According to his statement, it was discovered that the defendant, Martin Woodward, was communicating with a minor named Leah, who is 13 years old.
He claimed to be 38 years old, which was accurate and stated that he was initially from Salford but currently resides in North Wales, which was also true. However, according to the court, “Leah,” who was 13 years old, was an undercover police officer.
According to Mr Philpotts, their discussion transitioned to Google Hangouts and took on a sexual nature. Martin Woodward asked Leah, “Do you prefer thongs or panties?” and said, “Frenchies” or French underwear.
He stated his intention to remove her undergarments and encouraged her to skip school to engage in sexual activity with him. He transmitted to her an image of a physically fit person, which did not depict himself.
Leah received a photograph of a young woman. However, the woman in the photo was not Leah. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that on June 21, Martin Woodward made plans to meet Leah at Chester Greyhound Retail Park at midday to engage in sexual activity, despite being aware that Leah was both 13 years old and a virgin.
However, Mr. Philpotts stated that Martin Woodward did not attend. The next day, he sent a message to Leah to apologise. Subsequently, he transmitted a photograph to Leah featuring a female individual attired in sexually suggestive garments and enquired whether she would be inclined to don the same attire.
Nevertheless, law enforcement authorities successfully identified Martin Woodward by tracing his Internet Protocol (IP) address, including his date of birth and residential address.
On June 27, officers arrived at his residence in Cae Glas, Llanfairtalhaiarn, near Abergele, shortly before 7 am and proceeded to apprehend him. He confessed to multiple offences.
Ember Wong, the defence attorney, stated that her client did not attend the Chester meeting and the image he supplied depicted a fully dressed woman. However, she acknowledged it was a “troubling progression in his pattern of wrongdoing.” He was handling his depression symptoms in a completely unsuitable manner.
He admitted his guilt and aspired to become a law-abiding individual. Her Honour Judge Nicola Saffman sentenced Martin Woodward to a term of five years and four months for the offence of arranging.
In addition, she imposed a two-month, simultaneous term on him for his attempt to induce a female under the age of 16 to engage in sexual communication from June 19 to June 27 of this year.
The individual stated that the conditions of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order from a previous incident will continue to be enforced, and Martin Woodward is obligated to adhere to the notification requirements for a sex offender indefinitely.
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