A CONVICTED paedophile has been jailed for two years and eight months after asking an undercover police officer if he could perform depraved sex acts on two young girls.

Simon Martin, 50, was snared in an internet sting in which the officer pretended to be the mother of children aged 12 and eight, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Martin exchanged messages with her in an internet chatroom in which he called himself “genuine UK perv” and said “no age limit whatsoever”.

Martin, now in Leeds Prison but formerly of Brookfoot Lane, Brighouse, was in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order made at Bolton Crown Court in January 2013, for attempting to arrange the commission of a child sexual offence.

He also had a previous conviction for making indecent images of children.

Prosecutor David McGonigal said the latest offences took place in June and July this year when Martin began exchanging private messages with “Abby,” a fictitious mother who pretended to have daughters aged eight and 12.

The undercover officer posing as Abby discussed meeting at a hotel with Martin so that he could sexually abuse her daughters.

He told her his wife didn’t know what his interest was and that he had had sex with a girl aged 14.

He asked for photos of the 12-year-old, offered to buy her lingerie and sent a picture of his penis for her to look at.

The last contact between Martin and the police officer was on July 6, Mr McGonigal said.

He was arrested ten days later and police seized his computer equipment. On it were 1,092 indecent images of children at Category A, 1,335 at Category B and 1,466 at Category C.

Martin had a special browser to allow him to remain anonymous online and to access the dark web.

He pleaded guilty to two offences of attempting to arrange to meet a child for sexual activity; two breaches of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order; and three offences of possession of indecent images of children.

Martin’s barrister, Andrew Petterson, said the mother and girls were fictitious, so there was no harm, or risk of harm, to any child.

He desisted from the behaviour before the police came to arrest him.

Martin had been in custody since July during the Covid-19 prison lockdown.

Judge Colin Burn said previous court orders had “failed to put a lid” on Martin’s child sex offending.

But it was “a matter of significant concern” that the police had not arrested Martin sooner as his offending was allowed to continue for a couple of weeks with the knowledge, instigation and encouragement of the police officer.