paedophile sentenced

WARNING DISTURBING: Dad Shaun Moynihan sent extremely graphic messages to what he thought were 13-year-old girls, insisting he would meet up with them as long as they 'looked older'

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/paedophile-who-plotted-fun-meets-27811605

Shaun Moynihan was jailed for two years and 11 months

A sick paedophile who tried to meet 13-year-old girls in Aldi for "fun meets" collapsed in the dock as he learned his fate.

Dad Shaun Moynihan sent extremely graphic messages to what he believed were young underage girls in online chatroom Randochat. However, the 52-year-old pervert from Birkdale, Southport, was in fact chatting to undercover police officers who managed to snare him resulting in a prison sentence of just under three years. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that the dad began communicating with a Merseyside Police PC posing as a 13-year-old girl under the name "Anonymous Man 51" and using a photograph of himself as his profile picture. He then gave his first name and said he was "looking for fun meets".

Moynihan, who lives on Clifford Road, asked the "young girl" ifshe had "big boobs", adding that he would meet her if she looked older. They arranged to meet, before Moynihan began sending sexual messages asking if she was a "naughty girl". He even offered to pick her up in his car, buy her underwear and book a hotel room for them to meet.

The pervert asked whether she was in school at the time and instructed her to record a voice note for him, the Liverpool ECHO reports. He was caught out twice on the same day - entering into a new chat with another 13-year-old girl, who was once again an undercover police officer attempting to snare him. Telling the "underage girls" that he was "Shaun from Southport", Moynihan suggested meeting at a local Aldi store at 6.30pm the same day and asked whether she was "into naughty stuff". The messaging continued on November 10, with him by now going by the username "Sean, Man, 51". He was reminded of her purported age, but said they could still "kiss and play with each other".

Moynihan detailed sex acts he wanted to perform on her and again suggested meeting at Aldi that night before "taking it from there" and said he would be there "at 6.30pm in his silver car". Officers subsequently searched Facebook for users called Shaun in the Southport area and identified him from his profile picture. Moynihan was arrested at his workplace on January 16 this year and, after being cautioned, replied: "I have engaged in online chats but never knew they were children."

Under interview, he accepted that he had been chatting to children but "denied any intention of meeting a child" - instead saying that it was "fantasy only". He has no previous convictions. Moynihan had previously been due to be sentenced on Friday last week, but the case had to be adjourned after he seemingly suffered a panic attack. After entering the dock, he was heard to say that he was "claustrophobic" and began hyperventilating.

The defendant initially appeared to have been calmed down by a security guard, but his state worsened once more when the judge entered the courtroom. The dock officer remarked that she believed he had stopped breathing and Moynihan appeared to fall unconscious, with his head having fallen back as he sat apparently unresponsive. An ambulance was called, and he was subsequently taken to hospital. His sentencing was adjourned for seven days as a result.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, told the court today: "References speak highly of him. He has kept the support of his family since his arrest. He has always worked, either in the care system or in shop work. At the time of the offence, he was working as a salesman in mobility products. He is the sole wager supporting the family. His wife is sitting in the public gallery and is supportive of him."

Moynihan admitted two counts of attempting sexual communications with a child, two charges of arranging a child sex offence and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He put his head in his hands and cried as he was jailed for two years and 11 months and told to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "You were making persistent efforts to try to meet up. You are someone of fully good character before this offence took place. Clearly, you are remorseful. One hopes, given the indication I have seen in this courtroom, that you are able to bear what you have done. It seems you were a long time user of chatrooms. Clearly, this is something that led on to what you did. You are 52 and the girls, so-called, were 13 years of age. There is no getting away from that fact