AN Ellesmere Port man who tried to arrange a meeting with a child for sexual purposes was unaware he was speaking to a decoy.
Michael Unsworth, 28, of Grosvenor Wharf Road, had previously denied two charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.
But he was found guilty of both offences, which happened on November 2, 2022, and he was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday, November 17.
He was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.
As part of the suspended sentence, Unsworth must complete 33 sessions of the Horizon sex offenders programme and complete up to 30 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.
He was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order preventing him from unsupervised contact with children aged under 16, living in the same household as any child aged under 16 without the express approval of Social Services, and must comply with restrictions imposed on any internet-enabled devices, including making them available for police inspection and not have anything that could hide his internet activity.
Unsworth must also pay £2,800 prosecution costs and a £187 surcharge.
