Evans began speaking with the decoy on the Kik messenger app in October last year, where the police officer had set up a fake account. The decoy immediately told the defendant she was just 12 years old but he asked her if she had a boyfriend and if she had done “naked stuff.”

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Evans told the decoy he was “horny and hard” and asked to see a photograph. When the decoy sent a “selfie” style photograph he responded: “Stunning, how about naked?” The defendant went on to send photographs of himself to the decoy and photographs of his dog. He later told her he was “sitting on the bed naked and watching pornography”.

Evans asked the decoy if she had “seen a penis before” and then sent a video of himself masturbating and then asked her to delete the video. The police attended the defendant’s home on October 31 and upon entering the house he asked why they were there and he was arrested. During his police interview the defendant claimed he did not believe the decoy was a real girl due to the age verifications on the Kik app and thought he was “role playing”. He also said he believed it was a decoy or vigilante group and asked them questions to “catch them out.”

Evans, of Dolau Fawr, later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child under 13 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity. The court heard he had a previous conviction for sending a photograph of his genitals to an elderly woman in order to cause alarm, distress, and humiliation. In mitigation, David Singh said the interaction between his client and the decoy was “limited” and there had been a gap in his offending behaviour.

The barrister said the defendant’s mental health had deteriorated and he had not received any mental health appointments until he was remanded in custody. Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said there was “warped thinking” on the defendant’s part, in relation to his sexual behaviour.

Evans was sentenced to 70 weeks imprisonment. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.