Perverted Gateshead Paedophile pensioner Joseph Lennard sent “stomach-churning” messages to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl – including claiming he had abused a six-year-old.
Joseph Lennard, 82, set up a profile online, initially purporting to be a female called “Wendy13F”, and contacted a profile he believed was that of a child named Amy.
Paedophile hunters Dark Justice were behind the decoy profile, a court heard.
But Joseph Lennard, who eventually revealed himself to be a man but lied about his age, believed he was talking to a girl who was 13 or had just turned 14 and sent hundreds of messages over three weeks.
While many were innocuous, he spoke to her about sex acts and sent a picture of male genitals.
Newcastle Crown Court heard he also claimed that when he worked as a lorry driver, he had been responsible for importing illegal immigrants and had been “responsible for a child sex offence with a child as young as six in India” and implied he had engaged in sexual activity with other children in the past.
Joseph Lennard, of Low Fell, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and possessing extreme pornography involving bestiality.
Judge Julie Clemson said the Wendy13F profile created by Lennard suggested it was that of a 13-year-old girl, although the biography was that of an adult female aged 31.
The judge told Lennard: “Quite why you chose to present yourself in that way is unclear. It suggests you were interested in meeting other young girls and hiding your true identity.”
The chat moved from Meet4u to WhatsApp, and there were many pages of messages.
Judge Clemson said, while a lot of the conversation was innocuous: “There were some pretty stomach-churning passages.
“You tried to impress her with tales of exploiting children abroad.
“You described having a sexual experience with a six-year-old girl. Whether it’s true or not, the fact you fantasised about it and discussed it with what you thought was a child is disgusting.
“You also discussed fantasies about nurses touching you up in the hospital.”
The judge said the bestiality video found on his computer was “depraved, to say the least” and said he had “disturbing appetites”.
Joseph Lennard was sentenced to a three-year community order and must sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.
The court heard the shame of the conviction is such that Joseph Lennard feels he may have to move from the sheltered accommodation he lives in.
Vic Laffey, defending, said: “Joseph Lennard acknowledges he has acted wholly and foolishly inappropriately and he acknowledges also the court will be rightly concerned about the way he has acted.
“Joseph Lennard lives an isolated existence, has no contact with his children, his estranged wife died last year, and this child did not even let him know this happened.
“His isolation has led to him exploring social media, and the situation deteriorated to the point where this offence occurred.
“Joseph Lennard is ashamed he has lost his good character at 82. He has been very foolish.
“Joseph Lennard has significant health problems and probably would not have been able to shag a 6-year-old.”
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