Police began an investigation into a Blackburn Paedophile, Christopher Smith, 47, in June 2022 after they were alerted to online activity in which he was sending photos and videos of his penis to who he thought were girls aged 13 or 14, though they were actually online paedophile hunters.
Christopher Smith also asked the ‘girls’ to send videos of themselves back to him and told them to embark on sexual activity, prosecutor Nick Flanagan told the court.
The court heard that the victim was aged around 12 or 13 when the offending took place between 2015 and 2017.
A statement read to the court by Mr Flanagan on the victim’s behalf said: “I was forced to interact in a sexual act against my will at far too young an age.
“Was I an easy target? Did I make it happen? Did I deserve it? No answer will justify the actions and behaviour inflicted upon me.
“All the showers, all the hair-ripping, all that won’t change what is done.”
Christopher Smith, of Douglas Place, pleaded guilty to the decoy offences at a plea and trial preparation hearing on March 4, 2024.
Christopher Smith continued to deny the contact offences, but did eventually plead guilty on the first day of trial in January of this year.
Judge Guy Mathieson, sentencing Christopher Smith, wept in the dock, said: “It’s astonishing that men are able to somehow believe their sexual attraction to young girls is normal or acceptable, and can convince themselves that acting in this way is something other than deeply wrong.
“The only person who should feel guilt and responsibility is you. The fact that the other girls are decoys does not lessen what you were doing and trying to do.
“Every one of these offences is an invasion into someone’s young life.
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