He tried to talk his way out of trouble by claiming: “This has all been blown out of proportion.”
Christopher Mullins admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child(Image: Hull Live)
Online paedophile hunters caught a man who started having highly sexualised chats with a decoy 14-year-old girl during a series of explicit and “disgraceful” exchanges with her. Christopher Mullins encouraged the girl to ask him sexual questions – even though he was well aware that she was under-age, Hull Crown Court heard.
The police were called in but he tried to talk his way out of trouble by claiming: “This has all been blown out of proportion.” Mullins, 44, of Main Road, Bilton, east Hull, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, between February 8 and August 31, 2023.
Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that an online anti-child abuse activist group set up a decoy account in the name of a 14-year-old girl. Mullins added her as a friend on Facebook and started conversations with her on February 9, 2023.
They asked each other how old they were and the girl made it plain that she was 14. “He said that he was too old for her but communication continued regardless,” said Miss Lee.
They shared face pictures of themselves and discussed personal matters. They moved to WhatsApp and shared telephone numbers. The chats turned sexual in nature.
Mullins told the girl that he was watching pornography online. He encouraged the decoy girl to ask him sexual questions and he spoke about and made suggestions about sexual behaviour.
“He encouraged her to do it,” said Miss Lee. Mullins was arrested on September 3, 2023.
He told police: “This has all been blown out of proportion.” He had convictions for 11 previous offences but nothing of a sexual nature.
David Godfrey, mitigating, said that Mullins pleaded guilty and he was assessed as being a low risk of future harm. A community order would have “real teeth” in preventing further offences.
“This is disgraceful offending,” said Mr Godfrey. “There was nothing else on his phone. It’s isolated.” Mullins had written a letter to the court. He was the subject of a previous suspended prison sentence but he was not in breach of it.
Recorder Dapinder Singh KC told Mullins: “There was sexual communication throughout that conversation. In fact, it was decoy adults who were there.”
Mullins was given a suspended prison sentence of two-and-a-half years, with 26 sessions of a probation service Building Choices programme and 20 days’ rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.
“You must comply,” said Recorder Singh. “Any breaches and you know the risks.”