A 35-year-old Paedophile Child Molester, Hayden Pinney, has been sentenced to over three years in prison after confessing to child sexual offences.
Hayden Pinney, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 13 January after admitting to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a minor; attempting to meet a minor following sexual grooming; attempting to induce a minor to engage in sexual activity; and two counts of attempting to cause a minor to observe a sexual act between January and February 2019.
The court was informed that the acts were revealed through the efforts of an online child abuse activist organisation that employed adult decoys posing as two distinct 13-year-old girls on social media.
Hayden Pinney transmitted sexual texts to individuals he presumed were the girls. He subsequently scheduled a meeting with one of them in February 2019 and was apprehended at Stoke-on-Trent rail station, when his mobile phone was confiscated.
Officers found the messages sent by Hayden Pinney to the individuals, and he was subsequently charged before pleading guilty to all charges at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 12 January.
Hayden Pinney was jailed for a total of three years and eight months.
Hayden Pinney was also placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.
PC Amanda White, of the force’s child protection and exploitation team (CPET), said: “I am pleased with the sentence given to Hayden Pinney and am happy we have been able to secure this successful prosecution.
“I hope this reassures the public that we take this type of crime very seriously.
“I would urge anyone who believes they, or someone they know, has been affected by this kind of crime to get in touch with police.”
If you have been affected by child sexual abuse, please get in touch with Staffordshire Police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 555.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.