A 45-year-old man who thought he was about to engage in sexual activity with an 11-year-old girl, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Last month, Martin Rhodes, of no fixed abode, believed he had befriended a young girl on a social media app, he started grooming her and sharing sexually explicit images before arranging to meet her five days later in Sutton-in-Ashfield. But instead of meeting a young girl, he was met by officers from Nottinghamshire Police and arrested.
Rhodes was charged with grooming, attempting to cause or incite a female under 13 to engage in a sexual act and possession of cannabis. He pleaded guilty at a previous hearing and was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (26 July 2017).
As well as the prison sentence, he also received an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.