A convicted Brixham paedophile residing in Devon, George Gleed, transmitted an image of his genitals to an individual he presumed to be a 14-year-old girl and sought to organise a meeting, but was subsequently confronted and unmasked by a gang of paedophile hunters.
He articulated his wish to kiss her extensively and directed her to participate in sexual intercourse.
George Gleed, 78 years old, visited Cyfarthfa Shopping Park in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, on June 8, 2022, intending to meet the young individual he believed he had been conversing with.
He was confronted by a collective of paedophile hunters called Dank Dragon, who streamed their encounter live online.
At a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, August 5, it was disclosed that George Gleed commenced communication with the decoy adolescent on a social media application merely days prior to his arrest.
Notwithstanding the decoy’s disclosure that she was a 14-year-old girl, George Gleed persisted in messaging her and endeavoured to groom her.
He praised her appearance, proposed to take her out in his vehicle, and even vowed to get her a car when she reached driving age, according to Wales Online.
George Gleed enquired about her sexual practices.
Prosecutor James Evans asserted that George Gleed transmitted sexual communications, articulating his desire to kiss the girl’s neck, abdomen, and lips.
He enquired about her sexual practices and mentioned his own, then demanding an explicit photograph of her.
The defendant thereafter transmitted an explicit image of himself and reiterated his request for pictures from the decoy.
During the conversations, George Gleed made inappropriate comments about “playing with himself” and instructed the girl to engage in sexual acts when she was in bed.
George Gleed discussed travelling to Cardiff to meet the decoy, promising he would “spoil her” and perform sexual acts on her.
On the day of the planned rendezvous, George Gleed said he would take the girl to McDonald’s before going for a drive and “kissing her all over her body”.
The defendant, previously of Maerdy, in Wales, but now residing in Golden Close, Brixham, Devon, later pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child under 16 following sexual grooming, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
The court heard that he has 15 previous convictions, including an offence of indecent assault on a child under 14-years-old, dating back to 1991.
Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Jenkins noted this was another case affected by an “inordinate delay” which has caused “difficulty and concern”.
George Gleed was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 21 months, even though he has a 30 years of criminal child sex convictions.
The defendant, George Gleed, was instructed to complete a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement, pay costs of £1,000, sign the sex offenders register for a decade and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.
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