A COURT has heard how a 31-year-old man sent a video of himself masturbating to a '12-year-old girl' he met online - who he described as “cute” and “adorable”.

James Gribbin repeatedly asked the girl – who was actually an undercover police officer posing as a child – to send him nude photographs of herself and told her he wanted to have sex with her.

Prosecutor Jessica Lister told Bradford Crown Court how Gribbin, now 32, of Ashbourne Road, Keighley, sent a flurry of messages to the girl between February 26 and 26, 2023, after first making contact on February 8 that year.

He also tried to call her via a social media app.

When he sent the obscene video the girl replied, “Oh my God, is that really you?”

Gribbin confirmed it was and asked if she liked it. The girl responded that she had never seen anything like it before.

On March 6 he sent a message, which was quickly deleted, asking the girl to show him touching herself.

He was arrested two days later for an unrelated driving matter and his offences were discovered. Incriminating images were found on his phone when it was seized and downloaded.

He later pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child.

Mitigating, Ella Embleton said Gribbin’s offence was an attempt at sexual communication and that no child had been subjected to the images or messages that he sent.

She said that at the time of the messages he was “in a state of turmoil” due to a gambling addiction that had left him in significant debt. He was also abusing cocaine and cannabis to cope with his anxiety.

She said he had been experiencing “delusional intrusive thoughts”, which he described as “psychosis”.

She said his mental health had stabilised after being held in custody and he had been able to “face his demons”.

Sentencing Gribbin to 13 months in prison, plus an extra seven days for absconding in advance of a scheduled trial, all suspended for two years, Mr Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC said his attempts to solicit images from someone he thought was a 12-year-old schoolgirl were “persistent and deviant” and that he was “sexually excited” by their exchanges.

He said: “This is not one of those cases where you stopped this behaviour well before you were arrested. The behaviour carried on just about right up to that point and I am satisfied would have continued but for your arrest.

“These are worrying details of a serious offence. Your behaviour was both persistent and deviant.

“This is serious offending and the risk that you pose in the future to children is plain.”

Balancing punishment with rehabilitation he ordered Gribbin to take part in a 90-day sexual offending group work programme to reduce risk and to undertake 55 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign the sex offender register for the same period.