Ex-soldier tried to groom Mansfield boy before he was snared by online decoy

Ian Potts failed to attend the first day of a trial facing four offences of sexual communication and inciting sexual activity, but later turned himself in and pleaded guilty.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Potts first made contact with the boy on Facebook and asked if he would like to meet for a drink, before describing him as 'fit', flirting with him and even offering him a job.

David Allan, prosecuting, said the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told his parents and they forwarded copies of the messages to a group of paedophile hunters.

Posing as the boy online, they began receiving messages from Potts, who asked for pictures of the boy’s penis and offered to meet him for sex.

The court heard Potts became 'pushy' and invited what he thought was the 14-year-old boy to spend the night in his caravan.

A meeting was arranged which the group live-streamed on social media as they confronted and detained Potts, in August 2020.

When interviewed by police, Potts admitted sexualised contact with the boy, but claimed the boy told him he was 16.

In a statement, his victim said he was not worried that ‘what happened will happen again’ and reported 'no significant upset’, but said he was now far more cautious with people.

Chris Brewin, mitigating, said Potts’s life ‘fell apart’ after his partner of 13 years died of cancer.

He rose to the rank of corporal after serving with the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, and was advised to seek support for combat stress.

Mr Brewin said at the time, Potts had been binge drinking and sent the messages late at night.

He said the time Potts has spent in prison made him contemplate suicide and he has refused to take medications because he does not like the side effects.

Sentencing, Judge Nirmal Shant KC described it as ‘an unusual case’, as much of it ‘happened with a fictional person’.

Potts, now aged 36, of Westover Road, Bournemouth, was jailed for two years and eight months.

The judge imposed a sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders register indefinitely.