Newport's Raymond Francis planned to meet 'girl' for sex

Raymond Francis, 64, was snared by a paedophile hunting group, who posed as a 14-year-old girl named Tia.

Francis found ‘Tia’ on Facebook, and began messaging her on July 24 last year.

“The conversations are present. They are determined. They are sexually explicit,” said Matthew Roberts, prosecuting.

“It’s clear the defendant set out a plan to meet this young girl, as he believed, purely for the purpose of sexual intercourse.”

Mr Roberts told the court that the defendant asked ‘Tia’ to send pictures of herself. The person posing as Tia sent digitally generated pictures, which Francis complimented her on.

“The defendant stated that he wishes Tia was 16,” said Mr Roberts, adding that Francis asked ‘Tia’ if she wanted to do anything now.

Francis sent topless photos to ‘Tia’ – “one of these was went the defendant was considerably younger,” Mr Roberts said – and asked ‘Tia’ to delete the pictures “in case her mother found them”.

The conversation turned more sexually explicit as it continued through July and August, and Francis discussed a plan of “making love to her in her mother’s bed.”

He also directed ‘Tia’ to “get on the pill as soon as possible” as he did not like wearing a condom.

The defendant then arranged to meet up with another ‘girl’, Kirsty – a decoy that was not underage but was run by a separate paedophile hunting group – at McDonald’s at the Coldra in Newport.

The defendant attended and was detained by the group, and he was then arrested by police officers.

Stuart John, in mitigation, told Cardiff Crown Court that the defendant was “a man of hitherto good character”.

“He has already paid a considerable price in terms of his personal life,” said Mr John.

“The defendant – who is an already isolated man – is even more reluctant to leave the house.”

Mr John said that Francis admitted this was “a problem of entirely his own making”.

Sentencing Francis, Recorder Duncan Bould said: “His behaviour is obviously deliberate. He obviously has a plan in mind.

“Essentially he is directing what he believes is a 14-year-old girl towards a clinic to pick up contraception.”

Francis, of Westfield Avenue in Newport, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years. He must complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and attend a sex offenders programme. He must also register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order – limiting his internet use and banning him from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 – for the same period.

He must also pay £700 in costs and a £156 surcharge.