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Home Wiltshire news

Man pleads guilty to child sex offences after paedophile hunter sting

byDaniel Jae Webb
21 July 2017 | 4.09pm
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A Swindon man who was caught by a paedophile hunter after arranging to meet a child for sex has today pleaded guilty to the offences.

Mark Lee Smith, a father-of-one, was arrested by Danny Catcher who hunts predators online, on Regent Street in Swindon town centre on 22 June.

Wiltshire Police were called to the scene, where they were shown evidence of Smith grooming a 14-year-old child through apps on his mobile phone.

The conversation started on the dating app Skout, where the paedophile hunter who was posing as the child made him aware of her age – on many occasions.

Some of the key chat logs from the decoy’s conversation with Smith

The conversation moved on to Kik, a messaging app, where the meet was arranged.

Some of the key chat logs from the decoy’s conversation with Smith

The disturbing chat logs show his intent to meet the 14-year-old and have sexual intercourse with her – even suggesting it’s better without a condom.

At Swindon Crown Court, Smith pleaded guilty to ‘attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual conduct’ and ‘attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming’ and is due to be sentenced on 18 August 2017.

You can like Danny Catcher on Facebook, or follow @DannyCatcher on Twitter.

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Tags: Sex crimesSwindon town centreWiltshire Police

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