A Hull man who exchanged highly sexualised messages with a 12-year-old girl and said “age is just a number” got a nasty shock when he suddenly discovered to his horror that she did not even exist and that he had been chatting to undercover police.
Besotted serial criminal Justin Irvine told the decoy girl that he was “horny”, and also asked for and sent explicit pictures after becoming “quite convinced” that she really was a 12-year-old girl, Hull Crown Court heard.
Irvine, 36, of William Street, off Hessle Road, west Hull, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child on April 21, 2023. He originally denied the offence but later changed his plea.
Jennifer Gatland, prosecuting, said that undercover police set up a decoy online profile of a 12-year-old girl. Irvine began exchanging messages with the fake girl, who told him that she was only 12.
He told her that he was single and she said that she had never had a boyfriend. Irvine replied: “That is shocking. You are a nice person. You are young. There is plenty of time ahead of you.”
She sent a supposed selfie photograph and Irvine told her: “I like you. That’s a crazy photo but cool.” He sent an image to her with the message “Let’s go.”
Sexualised messages continued and Irvine told the decoy girl that he would like to have “fun” with her. He made explicit sexual suggestions, asked for an intimate picture and told her that he was “horny”.
The girl told him that she was at school. He sent her an explicit picture of his private parts and told her that he wished he had a girlfriend. He told her: “Age is just a number.”
The conversation continued for a few days after that. Irvine was arrested on May 19, 2023. He made no comment during police interview. He had a long list of previous convictions, including one of having unlawful sex with a girl when he was aged 13.
Julia Baggs, mitigating, said that Irvine accepted responsibility for the offence and realised the “huge detrimental impact” of it. “He is very troubled that he has got himself into this position,” said Miss Baggs.
“This has been something of a sudden wake-up call for him. These are serious matters.” Father-of-two Irvine’s partner had left him because of the offending.
Judge John Thackray KC told Irvine: “As far as you were concerned, you were conversing on the internet with a 12-year-old girl. It’s clear from the contents of the chat that you were quite convinced that it was a 12-year-old girl. In fact, it was a police officer.
“You requested intimate pictures. You had sexual conversations and took a picture. That is a serious offence. Sexual images were sent and requested.
“You have had significant custodial sentences. The offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified. You are a man in your 30s believing that you are speaking to a 12-year-old girl and sending and requesting images.”
Irvine, who had been on bail, was jailed for one year. He was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.