A PADGATE paedophile has avoided jail despite attempting to groom a minor and being found in possession of explicit images of children as young as five.

Tyler Porett thought he was chatting to a 13-year-old girl on a children’s chat room when in reality it was a fake profile being ran by an undercover police officer.

Two weeks off his eighteenth birthday, Porett engaged in conversations with the profile named Molly on September 28, 2021.

The defendant, of Derek Avenue, exchanged messages, telling the profile he was 17, before changing his age to 22 in an attempt to sound more mature. He is now 19.

Prosecuting, Iain Criddle said the offender moved the conversation over to social media platform, Snapchat, and began sending images of himself to the profile.

He requested pictures of the minor ‘in a onesie’ as well as sexual images.

A search warrant was issued in April 2022 at his home address and several devices were retrieved including two mobile phones and a computer.

The courts heard how 42 images of children were found on the devices ‘engaging in sexual activity with an adult’. All of the image’s bar one being thumb nails, with one clear image being that of a child as young as five.

Out of the images found on the devices belonging to the defendant, 20 images were of category A – the severest grading – 11 images were category B and 9 were category C.

Porett appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, facing charges for one count of inciting a child in sexual activity and three counts of possession of indecent images of a child.

Concluding, Honour Judge Woodhall said: “You are 19 years of age now and you are previously of good character.

“Most of the offending took place during lockdown when you were isolated.”

The defendant was handed a three-year community order with the terms of the order being that he carry out 200 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.

He must also undertake 60 days of rehabilitation and attend a sex offender treatment programme.

A sexual harm prevention order was issued for five years.