A JUDGE has decided against jailing a convicted sex offender who ‘teased’ a 13-year-old girl that later turned out to be a decoy.

Middle-aged man Christopher John Allen, who has two “quite old” convictions for sexual offences, engaged in “a degree of brinkmanship, teasing” with the girl he met on a dating site in January last year.

Swindon Crown Court heard it “must be assumed he believed this was a 13-year-old girl” after it turned out the account was a decoy.

Judge James Townsend said a lengthy and rigorous community order would “provide the best protection for children and young people in the future”.

Allen, 39, previously pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The court heard on Friday he met the teen on a dating site before they later talked on Facebook.

“There is no soliciting as such of sexual imagery, in fact Mr Allen is careful to say he doesn’t want sexual imagery, and there is no solicitation of a visit or meeting, he is careful to say he does not want a meeting,” prosecutor David Scutt told the court.

“There is a degree of emotional blackmail employed, he certainly threatens to block her, then he returns to speak to her again.”

Mr Scutt added the defendant had thought she was older than 13 by the “tone and tenor” of her conversation but said that the decoy had disclosed her age “right at the beginning of the conversation”.

Defending, Edward Culver attempted to persuade the judge that it fell below the custody threshold.

He said Allen, of Clapham Close, being sent to prison would have an “extremely significant” impact on his mother who he “looks out” for, and that he would lose his job if he went to prison.

“The opportunity for him to keep that job and keep progress in that job is one I press if it is to be custodial, for it to be suspended,” Mr Culver added.

But Judge Townsend said that it was a “serious offence” and that his “interest in children is troubling”.

“I have some concerns because you’ve already been on the Horizon programme [for sex offenders] or a similar programme, and that doesn’t appear to have resulted in your stopping offending.”

Judge Townsend gave Allen a three-year community order, during which he must complete the horizon programme, 40 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

A five-year sexual harm prevention order was made, and he will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for five years.