Sex offender snared by paedohile hunter group over vile sexual messages to teenage "girl"

A convicted sex offender breached court orders - even going so far as to move into the same house as a child - until he was snared by a paedophile hunter group who caught him sending sexual messages to a “14-year-old girl.”

Rotherham man Ivor Dodd was first brought before the courts almost a decade ago, in 2017, when he was convicted of attempting to cause or incite a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

Dodd walked away from court without a prison sentence.

He was, however, placed on the sex offenders’ register, was ordered to abide by strict conditions. He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, as part of which his internet use was restricted and he was banned from online and in-person contact with girls.

Both orders passed down were to run for a period of 10 years, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Thomas Harris, prosecuting, told the court that Dodd breached the terms of his sentence when he lied and told police on two separate occasions - in August 2025 and February 2026 - that he was not living with his then-partner, who shared a home with a child, when he had in fact moved in with her.

Dodd’s breaches were not discovered until he began sexual online communications with a profile he believed belonged to a 14-year-old girl, but was actually being run by a paedophile hunter group.

Mr Harris told a hearing held on July 8, 2026 that Dodd, now aged 62, sent pictures of himself topless and in underpants to the girl.

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Charge information also shows that Dodd described the graphic sexual things he wanted to do to the “girl,” asked her about her level of sexual experience and the type of night clothes and underwear she had.

Dodd was “detained” by the group, who subsequently called the police.

“On February 16, 2026, the police were called by a paedophile catcher group. They stated to the police that they had detained the defendant and had evidence of him communicating with an underage girl,” prosecutor Mr Harris said.

Dodd pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, breaching a sexual harm prevention orde amd two counts of failing to comply with notification requirements.

Jailing Dodd for 16 months, Judge Anthony Dunne told him: “I’ve read everything said in your pre-sentence report about you, your family and circumstances, but the seriousness of your behaviour, breaching both a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements, means only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”

Defending, Richard Adams told the court that at the time of his original conviction, Dodd did receive help and support around employment courses and opportunities, but was not given the chance to engage with any form of support that addressed his sexual offending or sought to rehabilitate him.

Mr Adams suggested that should Dodd be allowed to “make reparation in the community” he would have a chance at receiving the sort of rehabilitative treatment that is not available to prison inmates.

Dodd, he added, is someone who manages to stay out of trouble when in a romantic relationship, and seems to fall back into offending when isolated and “lonely.”

In addition to his custodial sentence, Judge Dunne also made Dodd the subject of a new sexual harm prevention order, to run for 15 years, and told him he must remain on the sex offenders’ register for the same period of time.