Eastleigh paedophile jailed at Southampton Crown Court

Martin Edward Manns sent naked photos of himself to a girl while she was on her school break.

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The 59-year-old of Twyford Road, Eastleigh, was in fact speaking to a decoy profile set up by a group of paedophile hunters.

However, at the time he had been under investigation for another child sex offence.

Prosecution barrister, John Upton, told how earlier this year, Manns had set up an online profile with the name ‘Up for it’.

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He then sent messages to a 13-year-old girl called Mabel H via the website Chatiw.

But again, Manns was actually speaking to a fake profile - on that occasion controlled by a police officer.

He had even arranged to meet the fictional teenager at the Lidl store in Coles Close, Eastleigh.

Lidl in Coles Close, Eastleigh.

Manns was seen in the car park using his phone and then followed back to his house by officers.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with intentionally attempting to communicate with a child under the age of 16 for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 with the intention of sexual activity.

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He pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between September last year and June this year

Defending, Gaylene Coles said that her client was “extremely remorseful and ashamed for his behaviour”.

Southampton Crown Court.

She added that Manns felt “very unable to verbalise his thoughts and actions and why these matters came about”.

However, she said he had been impacted by the loss of his mother, mother-in-law and what his daughter had experienced in childbirth.

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Judge Christopher Parker QC said that Manns posed a significant risk of serious harm to young girls.

Furthermore, he decided that he represented a risk to the public.

He was jailed for five years and will be subject to a two-year licence upon his release.

Manns will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely and will be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order until further order.