A PERVERT who engaged in sex chats with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl has won an appeal against his immediate imprisonment.

Richard Buchanan sent obscene sexualised images to an undercover police officer posing as the young girl for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

The 40-year-old was snared in the sting and police raided his home, seizing the device he was communicating with.

He was later charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to sexual activity.

Buchanan appeared to be sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, December 3, where he was told that his actions merited an immediate prison sentence.

The defendant, of Brick Street in the town centre, was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and made the subject of sex offender registration and notification requirements for seven years.

But he chose to appeal this sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, January 12, hoping to have the period of imprisonment suspended.

He was successful in this appeal and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison suspended for 24 months.

The sex offender register requirements remain, with Buchanan also ordered to complete 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days and abide by a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.

Prosecutor Leanne Gallagher told the magistrates court how between May 21 and August 20, 2021, Cheshire Police received intelligence that a Kik Messenger user was in communications with a person using the username Amber2007S.

This account was purporting to be a 13-year-old girl named Amber, but it was in fact controlled by an undercover police officer tasked with identifying online child sex offenders.

The user snared by the officer was Buchanan, who at the time claimed to be a 39-year-old man from Padgate.

During the sexualised chats, the defendant sent two obscene photos of himself, one of which was himself lay down showing his erect penis, with the face matching that set as his profile picture.

He also made lewd comments about sexual things he would like to do with the girl.

Police executed a warrant at his Warrington home in October 2021, arrested him and seized a device capable of accessing the internet.

In defence of his client, Jonathan Condor referenced the fact that he has never been in trouble with the police before, his guilty pleas at the first opportunity and his health problems.

“The issue for the court is how to avoid this from happening again. He has no history of this sort of thing in the past,” the solicitor said, adding that Buchanan was ‘clearly ashamed’.

“The probation service is of the view that it can work with him, and that he is suitable for the Horizon program and rehabilitation activity requirement days.”

Before sentencing, addressing the significant age disparity between the defendant and the ‘girl’, chair magistrate Stephen Walton said: “There is no doubt in the bench’s mind that these matters cross the custodial threshold.”