A VULNERABLE Kendal man was snared by paedophile hunters engaging in sexual online chat with two people he thought were 13-year-old girls.

Ryan Dobson, 22, communicated with what he believed were children in sexually explicit terms on Facebook and WhatsApp, making requests for lewd audio clips. This occurred around the turn of 2019, “child” profiles having been set up by separate vigilante groups.

“A confrontation was planned, it seemed,” prosecutor Jacob Dyer told Carlisle Crown Court. “But the organisations reached the conclusion the defendant had vulnerabilities and some learning difficulties.

“His details seems to have been passed to social services initially. There was a joint visit on 17th January by adult social care and the police.”

Dobson was arrested and, when quizzed, “said something about being targeted by predators online and just going along with them”, said Mr Dyer.

One inaccessible indecent child image of category A - the most serious class - was recovered from an iPod, along with 28 category C images, mainly showing girls aged in their early teens.

Dobson, of Peat Bank, Kendal, admitted two offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child; two of attempting to incite or cause a child to engage in sexual activity; making and possessing indecent photographs of a child; and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

The court heard he suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and was on the autism spectrum.

Paul Humphries, defending, said of Dobson: “He is young. He is vulnerable. He does have his difficulties.”

It was agreed, going forward, he would have an old mobile phone not capable of accessing the internet, and a computer fitted with monitoring software.

Dobson was given a three-year community order, must attend a sexual offending behaviour course and complete a rehabilitation requirement. He must sign the sex offenders’ register and abide by the strict terms of a sexual harm behaviour order, both for five years.

Judge Peter Davies said Dobson’s offences merited a jail term but concluded he wouldn’t get the help he needed behind bars. Instead, “experienced, skilful, diligent experts” would aim to to prevent him reoffending.

“It is not an easy option,” Judge Davies said of the community order. “It is a serious punishment with which you must comply.”