Paedophile asked decoy posing as 14-year-old boy for sex, court hears
A COURT heard how a paedophile whose “only friend” was social media propositioned a person he believed to be a 14-year-old boy with penetrative sex.
During a number of conversations on Facebook between June 9 and June 17 last year John Boden, 42, told the fictitious teen he was a “cutey” who “had a nice body”.
In various other messages too offensive for publication he told the decoy – a member of a paedophile hunting group – he was keen to have penetrative sex, also requesting pictures.
Judge Anthony Dunne told Boden: “What on Earth you thought you were doing is really difficult to understand.”
On June 16 members of the vigilante group confronted Boden at his work place and he was arrested. A barrister representing the defendant described him as an “industrious man” for who life “largely resolved around his work”.
He added: “The one friend he had was social media – which led him into entirely inappropriate conduct.” The court heard Boden had no previous convictions.
Judge Dunne told him: “You said you had no memory of the conversation and you were not sexually aroused. I find that wholly unrealistic. I suspect you were unable to face up to reality.”
Boden, of Town Street, Canklow, Rotherham, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
He was jailed for 10 months suspended for 18 months, handed 140 hours of unpaid work, a Building Choices programme, a sexual harm prevention order and 20 rehabilitation activity days.