'I'm a bit of a dirty old man' – What Shrewsbury pervert told undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old girl
A 50-year-old man from Shrewsbury who boasted to a police decoy he thought was a 12-year-old girl that he was a 'bit of a dirty old man' has been spared jail.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Jason Coles of Oakley Close, Weston Lullingfields, thought he had been chatting to a 12-year-old girl when he tried to coax her into meeting for sex, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard on Friday.
Simon Parr, prosecuting, said the father-of-one's online activities were first discovered in December 2023, when an undercover police officer was contacted by Coles on social media app Chatib.
“The officer made clear that she was a 12-year-old girl,” said Mr Parry. “He replied saying: 'Before we go any further, you ought to know I'm a bit of a dirty old man.”
Mr Parry told the court that the messages with the police decoy became graphic with Coles requesting to meet the girl for sex and telling her how he was touching himself as they chatted sexually.
He said when police made enquiries, Coles was tracked down to his home using his IP address.
