A MAN who arranged to meet a ’15-year-old boy’ with the intention of having sexual activity with him has been spared an immediate prison sentence.

Richard Anthony Anderson was snared by an investigative journalist who created a fake profile of a child called Riley on networking and dating app Grindr.

The defendant was arrested by police at a petrol station, with officers seizing his mobile phone and a “sex toy object”.

Anderson, previously of St Boniface Gardens, Bournemouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on August 8 more than four years after his offending took place in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, in June 2018.

He previously pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and possession of cocaine.

Judge Jonathan Fuller QC said the most serious offence carried a starting point of five years’ custody; however, this could be significantly reduced for several reasons, including his guilty plea, the fact the crime was an attempt with no actual child involved and the four-year delay in the case.

This dropped the sentence to two years’ imprisonment and Judge Fuller QC concluded it was appropriate to suspend the sentence for a period of two years rather than an immediate custodial term.

“The protection of the public and the public interest is best served by such a sentence where an intensive course can be attached to that order,” the judge said.

The suspended sentence included a requirement to complete an accredited 42-day sexual offending programme and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The court heard an investigative journalist set up a fake account on Grindr purporting to be a 15-year-old called Riley.

Anderson engaged in communication with this account which quickly became sexual.

An image of ‘Riley’ was sent to the defendant – the judge said there was “no doubt about his age”.

Prosecutor David Harounoff said the offender messaged that he wanted to engage in sexual activity with the ‘boy’.

Anderson sent images of himself wearing only underwear as well as other explicit images of himself.

Mr Harounoff said arrangements were made for a meeting and at this point the investigative journalist alerted police to the situation, with a description of the defendant.

Upon arrest, Anderson said he was on his way to the petrol station to buy cigarettes. Officers found a black rubber ring which they suspected was a sex toy. A search of his home address at the time unearthed a small quantity of cocaine, consistent with personal use.

In interview, the offender said he had used Grindr for several years, there were a number of fake profiles on the platform, he had reported suspected accounts previously and he did not have a sexual interest in young boys.

Mitigating, Tom Evans said: “This is a man in his 50s not doing well in life. Struggling with his mental health, lacking adult sexual partners, lacking the ability to engage with society generally.”

He added: “It is these types of people who find themselves before the courts having been snared by individuals posing as children.”

Mr Evans said the delay in the case of four years, which could not be explained by the prosecution, had a “significant impact” on his client’s mental health.

The judge said there was a significant disparity in age between the defendant and the ‘boy’ and the fact it was a fake profile could not “get away from the seriousness of the intended crime”.

Anderson, now of no fixed abode, was placed on the sex offenders’ register and issued with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.