Pervert, 52, who told '13-year-old girl' to Google sex positions is snared by paedo hunters on Facebook Live
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A 52-year-old pervert arranged to meet a '13-year-old girl' for sex after telling her he wanted to take her virginity - and 'to Google sex positions'.
Security guard Derrick Blackwell has been jailed for three years after being snared by vigilante paedophile hunters in Grimsby who filmed the encounter - with footage showing how he smashed his phone up when he realised what was happening.
A court heard how he had used WhatsApp to send explicit messages to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl, telling her that he wanted to take her virginity and urging her to Google sex positions.
The encounter was streamed on Facebook Live and attracted a large crowd, the Grimsby Telegraph reports.
Grimsby Crown Court heard Blackwell was snared by Facebook group Silent Justice, who posed as the fictional teenager who he messaged.
On Monday, Blackwell sat in the dock with his hands over his head as the court heard how he was confronted.
(Image: Grimsby Telegraph WS)
(Image: Grimsby Telegraph WS)
Sentencing him to three years in jail, Judge Mark Bury described Blackwell as a "dangerous offender" who posed a "significant risk of serious harm to members of the public."
Prosecutor Megan Rhys told the court that members of the now defunct Silent Justice Facebook page created a fake account - a 13-year-old girl from Birmingham named Jodie - on the mobile dating app Meet4U.
Ms Rhys explained that members of Silent Justice followed guidelines which meant that 'Jodie' did not instigate conversation with other users of the app and they would make clear how old the decoy was purporting to be.
In this case, 'Jodie' told Blackwell that she was only 13 years old on three occasions.
Ms Rhys told the court that on October 1, Blackwell made contact with 'Jodie' with the opening message: "Hi sweetheart, I'm Derrick."
(Image: Grimsby Telegraph WS)
"He told her she was very beautiful and said he didn't mind that she was 13," Ms Rhys said.
The conversation then moved onto the mobile messaging service WhatsApp with many of the messages sent during the early hours.
'Jodie' often referred to her school and sent Blackwell a generic picture of what was purported to be her face.
Ms Rhys added: "She told him she had never had a boyfriend and he said he didn't know why because she was so beautiful. He said he wanted to see what she was wearing under her skirt."
The court heard Blackwell's messages became increasingly explicit, saying that he wanted to "slide his hand inside her knickers." He also said he wanted to take her virginity.
He later asked for pictures before sending an image of his private parts.
(Image: Grimsby Telegraph WS)
"He said that it was all a secret because he would get into trouble if she told anyone," Ms Rhys said.
"He talked about meeting at Grimsby railway station. He said that by the time she left him she would know a lot about sex and suggested she do a Google search sex positions ahead of the meeting.
But as Blackwell, who was in a 17-year marriage at the time, waited in Grimsby town centre to meet 'Jodie' he was approached by members of Silent Justice.
"He confirmed who he was but said he was there to get some DVDs," Ms Rhys said.
"He smashed his phone on the wall and broke part of it off with his hand and tried to run away.
"He was told he had led the conversation with 'Jodie' and the person he was in contact with had no experience of sexual matters."
(Image: Grimsby Telegraph)
The vigilantes performed a citizen's arrest before Humberside Police arrived at the scene.
The court was told about Blackwell's previous convictions, which included an offence in 1993 when he had sex with a 19-year-old woman in a wheat field. She had a mental age of seven and did not have the capacity to give consent, Ms Rhys said.
In mitigation, defence barrister Anthony Farrell said Blackwell had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and was left feeling suicidal.
"He feels great shame for what he has done and he said he would never do it again," Mr Farrell said.
After Blackwell was arrested, Humberside Police told vigilante groups such as Silent Justice that it was "essential that they allow police officers to do their jobs and not to take matters into their own hands."
“It is the police that are responsible for investigating these serious crimes and we are best placed to achieve this in the interests of victims and the public," a spokeswoman for Humberside Police said at the time.
But summarising the case, Judge Bury said the members of Silent Justice had "played by the rules" in helping to bring Blackwell to justice.
"It is clear throughout the 14 days you had contact with her over the internet you realised she was an underage girl who was naive and inexperienced," he said.
Blackwell pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and one count of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
He was jailed for three years and will sign on as a sex offender. He must also comply with a sexual harm prevention order.