Martin Ryder, 56, initiated sexual conversations with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl on a messaging app – and was found with 46 indecent images of children
A vile paedophile has been told by a judge “you need to be honest with yourself” as he was spared jail.
Martin Ryder, 56, initiated sexual conversations with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl on a messaging app – but was in fact speaking to a member of a ‘paedophile hunter’ group.
He was later confronted at his home by the group, before being arrested, when police found a collection of 46 indecent images of children. A total of 15 of these were in the most serious category A, 18 category B, and 13 category C. Some of the images involved the rape of babies and four-year-olds.
At Liverpool crown court yesterday, prosecutor Ian Criddle said: “The offences came to light as a result of the actions of what is known as a paedophile hunter group. The group had set up a profile of someone purporting to be a child called Ella on social media website Chat-Avenue.
“To be fair to the defendant, a user of Chat-Avenue has to be over 18. However, the defendant, having sent her a message, was immediately told by the person that in fact she was 13, and so was under absolutely no illusion of the age of the person he was purportedly communicating with.
“He contacted Ella, who said she was a 13-year-old girl, and as soon as he found that, he moved the conversation onto sexual matters.
“Very quickly into the conversation he asked the girl whether she had ever seen a man masturbate. The chat moved from Chat-Avenue to WhatsApp. It was then that the conversation changed to what they were doing. The defendant said he was meeting someone for sex.”
Later in the conversation, Ryder again asked “Ella” inappropriate questions about her genitals and breast size. He also asked for photographs of her breasts.
The conversation continued over a period of three days, between October 4 and 7 last year. On October 8, Ryder was confronted by the paedophile hunter group at his property, and was subsequently arrested.
Ryder, from Seaforth, Merseyside pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of attempted sexual communications with a child, and possession of extreme pornography (bestiality). He has no previous convictions.
Zahra Khan, defending, said: “Ryder is a socially isolated individual who, at the time of the offences, was extremely lonely as a result of his physical and mental health issues. He has COPD and Lambert Syndrome, which makes him unable to walk very far. The defendant also suffers with his mental health.
“He’s 56 and this is his first offending, being of hitherto good character. There’s no entrenched pattern of offending behaviour. He has lost significant relationships as a result of this, including with his brother and his nieces and nephews, and it’s submitted that’s punishment in and of itself for someone who is socially isolated.”
Sentencing Ryder, Judge Gary Woodhall said: “You accepted full responsibility. You were distressed and remorseful. You were unable to explain why you engaged in sexual communications with a child and you denied being sexually attracted to children.
“That’s nonsense. You need to be honest with yourself. You clearly are attracted to children and your own words to probation reveal the truth. You were taking about steps you could take to ‘avoid temptation’.
“And separate to this, you were in possession of indecent images of children. You didn’t stumble across these images. You accessed it.”
He accepted Ryder presented a low risk of reoffending. He sentenced the 56-year-old to a total of 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He also gave him 35 rehabilitation days, a 12 month mental health treatment requirement, and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).