A man travelled to Oldham to meet who he believed to be a 14-year-old boy only to find out he was snared by a decoy social media account.
Muhammad Khan appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday (July 11) having previously pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a boy under the age of 16 following grooming.
Simon Barrnett, prosecuting, told the court that on January 31 this year, Khan made contact on social media with who he believed was a teenage boy, but was in fact a profile controlled by an adult.
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Despite the decoy account telling Khan he was 14, the two began messaging for a period of nearly two months.
This time included points when Khan, 28, asked the decoy if he liked sex and other sexual questions and talked about wanting to kiss and sleep in the same bed as who he believed to be a child.
Eventually, an arrangement was made for the two to meet and stay the night together in Oldham on March 23.
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Khan, who is Pakistani and is in the UK on a student visa, drove up from Stoke-on-Trent, and when he arrived, he was confronted by group of people.
He accepted he was there to meet a 14-year-old boy and condoms were found in the car he had travelled in, with Mr Barrnett arguing this showed Khan was intent on sexual activity.
David Thompson, defending, said Khan was remorseful for his actions and explained he had arrived in the UK last year as part of his studies.
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When sentencing, Judge Neil Usher said the purpose of Khan's communication with the decoy was "plainly sexual grooming" and said he was "perfectly sure" that Khan was intent on engaging in sexual activity.
Judge Usher said that according to the probation office, Khan presented a high risk and danger to the public and that Khan was in "complete denial" about his attraction to young boys.
He said: "Unless and until you acknowledge that attraction, there is a very real chance of reoffending."
Khan, of Regent Road, Stoke-on-Trent, was sentenced to 14 months in prison and was issued a sexual harm prevention order lasting five years.
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