Hampshire man, 50, jailed for child sex offences after police pose as 14-year-old girl

WATCH: How the Hampshire Police sting unfolded

A sexual predator from Southampton has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to sexual offences against children.

Richard Baker, 50, from Smythe Road, was caught by officers who'd been posing as a 14-year-old-girl on a messaging app.

Baker had tried to win the girl's trust by portraying himself as a parental figure, offering advice about how to stay safe around men and sending her selfies and photos of his dogs.

This ‘advice’ soon became a stream of pornographic images he found online and plans to meet up for sex.

Baker sent the messages in January this year, when he also expressed a desire to hug her - telling her it was up to her if it was an ‘undressed hug’.

They agreed to meet in Fareham on Tuesday, January 18. He also told her not to tell anyone his name or age as he would ‘get in a lot of trouble’.

Thankfully, the girl was not real. When he arrived at the location, he was arrested with a camcorder in his possession.

In a prepared statement given at the time, Baker said he was ‘was trying to explain and warn the girl about how boys can be’.

But he later confessed to sending the messages and trying to meet up with a child for sex.

He also pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault against a girl aged 13 to 15 years old which took place when he was in his early twenties.

The court heard how Baker was also given a restraining order against two teenage girls in December.

DS Heather Hudson from Hampshire Constabulary, lead officer in the case, said: “By taking Baker off the streets, we have removed a dangerous predator from our community.

“With young people having ready access to the internet and mobile phones, it is more important than ever that parents stay vigilant and educate their children about how to keep safe online.

“These messages show the tactics a sexual predator will use to win a child’s trust – from presenting themselves as a role model to using pets to impress them.

“I hope this sentence demonstrates the lengths we go to in order to keep children safe from sexual exploitation and abuse, and also might encourage any survivors of child sexual abuse to speak to us.

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is the only UK wide charity dedicated solely to preventing child sexual abuse. For anonymous support and advice, use the Stop It Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900 or visit https://www.stopitnow.org.uk/helpline/ to find out more.