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A “committed paedophile” was warned he faced being jailed indefinitely for targeting an under-age schoolgirl while on bail for trying to groom another youngster.
Ian Price's desire for children came to light when his attempts to systematically corrupt a “hockey-playing virgin” were secretly monitored by police.
London's Southwark Crown Court heard that during months of increasingly lewd text and email exchanges he praised her beauty and told her he wanted to be her “guy” despite being 47, more than three times her age.
After playing the sympathy card, claiming his grandmother was on a life support machine, he turned to the “most powerful language of all, the language of love and romance”.
He finally arranged to meet her. But instead of the young girl he hoped to take back to his home for a “couple of nights”, he found police waiting for him instead.
Neil Saunders, prosecuting, told jurors it was only then the defendant discovered the child he thought he had been grooming had really been an undercover officer recording his many lewd suggestions.
Price - branded by police a “great danger to young girls” - eventually pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act - a reference to a photograph he had sent to her - and trying to meet a child following sexual grooming.
But jurors heard that within weeks of being released on bail he turned his attentions to a real 14-year-old.
The paedophile, of Lakeside Path, Canvey Island, Essex, claimed he thought she was 17. But the jury took just over two hours yesterday to unanimously convict him of inciting the child to engage in sexual activity between August 1 and October 31 last year.
Remanding him in custody until September 3 for a pre-sentence report, Judge Peter Testar warned he faced an indeterminate jail sentence.
The court heard Price contacted the first “schoolgirl” via MSN in early May, 2008, and within 40 minutes BigEzee - his online username - was telling her he was 32, “nice and gentle” and would “like to be your guy”.
“He had to pretend to be as young as possible to be as acceptable as possible,” said Mr Saunders.
It was all part of his strategy “to get her confidence”.
The barrister told jurors that as their cyber contact continued for the next 12 weeks he became increasingly manipulative and “tried to make her feel sorry for him” with the critically ill grandmother line.
“This was an important part of his method of grooming.”
The court heard he once told her: “We have got to be careful because I could get into trouble because you are under 16. People don't like an older guy with a younger girl. They think it is wrong. I don't care because I want to be with you so much.”
The barrister said eventually his suggestions, to someone he believed was a “14-year-old hockey-playing virgin” became “very graphic”.
The court heard that weeks after he was arrested for those offences and bailed with a tag and curfew conditions he targeted the second 14-year-old after getting hold of her mobile number.
“But this one was real,” said Mr Saunders. “She was also vulnerable and felt alone after splitting up with her boyfriend.”
Having pretended he was just 21, she still thought he was “too old for her but liked the attention”.
Mr Saunders said Price went on to plague the youngster with “disgusting” texts and phone calls.
“She was a 14-year-old child who was being pursued by a persistent, relentless older male. She was slightly frightened that if she told anyone what was happening it would end up with her getting into trouble.”
Eventually she confided in a friend and the matter was reported to police.
When interviewed, Price insisted he had thought she was 17, but when he discovered her real age he “continued to text her to find out why she had misled me”.
He added: “I swear on my life there is no way I would have done that if I had known she was underage.”
Reader views (3)
The man new what he was getting himself into each time and he knew it was wrong. Gary from Brentwood is right. I do not believe there is such thing as rehabilitation of a paedophile. They have performed such a nasty ruthless act to some children and as a parent it is my worst nightmare. I am petrified of a car rolling past my front yard and ruining my sons life. Which is why i watch him so closely out in the open. They should be jailed for life. Because they do not change.
- Joshua, High Wycombe, Australia, 06/10/2009 11:37
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I can never feel sorry for a paedophile; the damage they have done to our society and me as man around children is a national scandal, people talk about rehabilitation sorry I refuse to accept you can rehabilitate a paedophile and if we accept that why are we locking them up?
- Gary, Brentwood, 06/10/2009 10:37
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The man will now spend an indefinite time wondering if it is safe to go out and about for fear of rape - seems poetically appropriate to me. Crims love an excuse to do what they are going to do anyway. I wish him joy of his new lovelife(s).
- Rogan, Irving, 06/10/2009 10:37
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