A man attempted to send explicit pictures to who he thought were young girls, a court heard.

Gareth Sloan, aged 39, sent sexual messages to multiple social media accounts he believed to belong to underage girls, sending pictures of his genitalia to some of the accounts and attempting to incite one he thought was a girl into performing sexual acts on herself.

Sloan, of Bag Lane, Atherton, appeared at Bolton Crown Court on Friday, September 29 on four charges of attempting to engage in sexual communications with children, and one charge of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Some of the accounts he messaged were run by a social media vigilante group, who attended his address on October 10, 2021 to confront him about his activity.

Prosecuting, Adam Watkins said: "They (the group) had gone to his address to confront him about his online activity, and he was then arrested at the flat.

"He said at the time that it was the 'first time (he had) done this and it will be the last'. His Samsung phone was seized by the police.

"At interview, he admitted all of the offences. He accepted contacting on Facebook messages with girls he believed to be as young as 13.

"He sent explicit photographs and said he was very ashamed of himself for having done so. He didn't regard himself as a paedophile, but that he was acting out of loneliness and depression."

Mr Watkins detailed messages from Sloan to two accounts posing as girls aged 13 and one account posing as 14, all three of whom he sent pictures of his gentilia.

Speaking about one of the accounts, he said: “He tried to solicit her to send an explicit picture." 

Sloan, who had previously pleaded guilty to the charges, also messaged an account which purported to be a 10-year-old girl, but Greater Manchester Police said that, due to the nature of their conversation, they believe she was not 10, and “very probably not a child at all”.

Describing the communication with the purported 14-year-old, Mr Watkins said: “He referred to her as sexy, made reference to morning glory, tried to video call her and claimed to be 15 years old.

Sloan has eight previous convictions for nine offences, none of which are “similar to the present offending”. He was last in court in 2011.

Defending, Kevin Liston said: “His last offence was in September 2021. It is now in excess of two years and there are no further charges.

“The defendant made an admission at the time. Refreshingly, whilst the offences are not condonable, often people before the court accused of these kinds of charges are in denial about what has taken place and the reasons for it.”

He said Sloan's admittal showed a better chance of him being rehabilitated going forward.

Mr Liston added: “He is cut off from his family, save for his brother. He is emotionally and sexually immature.”

Recorder Paul Hodgkinson said: “Thankfully the accounts were decoys, but the message needs to go out that you are to be sentenced for the intentions and intended harm of your communications with those people.

“The most serious count is the one where you encouraged a 13-year-old girl (into sexual activity).

“That was further aggravated by you sending a photograph of your erect penis to what you believed was a 13-year-old.”

Sloan was imprisoned for 40 months for the offences. A sexual harm prevention order of 10 years was also imposed upon him.

He was also put onto the sex offenders register indefinitely.