Paedophile messaged what he thought was 12-year-old girl within half an hour of prison release

Andrew Lloyd was actually messaging a paedophile hunter from London, who was posing as a 12-year-old girl. Credit: Daily Post

A paedophile made contact with someone he believed to be a 12-year-old girl within half an hour of being released from prison.

Andrew Lloyd from Northop Hall admitted several sexual offences after messaging a paedophile hunter pretending to be a child between October and November this year.

Lloyd exchanged hundreds of messages with the woman, who posed as a child, and sent her an intimate photo of himself.

He was caught after he sent the woman a photo of the hotel he was staying at in Flintshire. Peadophile hunters from London went to the hotel and contacted police, who then arrested him.

Mold Crown Court heard Lloyd had been given a sexual harm prevention order following previous offences in September 2021.

Following that, he was prohibited from communicating with a child, including on social media, without first telling police.

However, Lloyd did just that between October and November this year, contacting the woman via an app, calling himself "JJ."

The woman told Lloyd she was 12 and he replied: "Nice. So why on here?"

Defending Lloyd, Elen Owen said a man had threatened to kill her client from prison. The man was then sent to the same accommodation as Lloyd after he was released.

She said Lloyd was frightened, reverted to his old ways and took cocaine, leading him to commit the offence.

Talking about the fact Lloyd was already the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, the judge, His Honour Niclas Parry, said: "These orders are meant to protect children. This was a flagrant breach. Mercifully there was no victim, no child, no harm was caused."

Lloyd was jailed for two and a half years for each of the two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, with one sentence running concurrently. He was also given a 16-month sentence for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. That will also run concurrently.

Lloyd was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order with indefinite notification requirements.

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