A PAEDOPHILE, 67, who was snared while trying to groom a 12-year-old ‘girl’ by police in an undercover sting has been jailed.

Colin Howard, of Burrium Gate, Usk, was entrapped by officers who used a decoy to bring him to justice.

They used a fake account for an underage girl and the defendant soon began sending naked pictures of himself after making contact, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Claire Pickthall said Howard posed as a 45-year-old man and told ‘Veronica’ about the pornographic films he liked to watch as they chatted on Skype.

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The defendant also made sexually explicit comments and wrote that he would like to give the ‘girl’ a massage.

Howard pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sex act and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

The offences were committed in Usk between January 26 and February 21.

Miss Pickthall said that after Howard was arrested he confessed to police that he had been “engaging for 18 months with children”.

Jeffrey Jones, mitigating, said: “The is a 67-year-old man with no previous convictions. He has never come before the courts before and he has lost his good name.

“There is remorse which is evident in the pre-sentence report. When he was arrested, he said straight away, ‘It’s me who has been chatting.’”

Mr Jones added his client felt “shame and embarrassment” and his offending was “out of character”.

Howard was jailed for two years by Judge Catherine Richards.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period of time.

The defendant will also have to pay a victim surcharge upon his release from prison.