A SOUTH Shropshire man caught in a decoy sting was spared jail for trying to incite a child into sexual activity at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Mark Lewis, 50 and from Clun, was given a nine-month sentence – suspended for two years – for two counts of attempting sexual activity with a child and attempted sexual communication with a child.

The court heard that Lewis was arrested in 2021 after he travelled to meet an adult woman after he had been caught speaking to an online decoy, claiming to be 13 years old.

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Judge Anthony Lowe was told by Robert Edwards, prosecuting, that Lewis had not travelled with the intention of meeting the ‘child’ but knew he was meeting the woman after he had been caught online.

Mr Edwards said that there was a two-year delay between arrest and charge in 2023 but Lewis pleaded guilty in May this year.

Olivia Appleby, defending, told Judge Lowe that her client had significant learning difficulties and that his mother – present in court – was his registered carer.

“He’s not an ordinary 50-year-old man – he has significant difficulty,” she said.

She added that this was ‘online offending’ and reminded His Honour that her client was not travelling to meet a 13-year-old girl but a woman he had previously spoken to.

Ms Appleby said the delayed case had also had a significant impact on his family and their health, and said that ‘’prison is not the venue for him and it would do more harm than good’.

Sentencing him, Judge Lowe said: “I read the reports and it is clear that throughout your life you’ve had struggles.

“I have to balance that with what you did and that was knowingly speaking to someone who you believed existed and was only 13 and deliberately engaged in sexual discussion.

“Notwithstanding your difficulties, you knew that was wrong.

“You didn’t know that she didn’t exist but was a decoy but though I understand the meeting wasn’t to meet her, there were discussions about meeting where you couldn’t be seen.”

Judge Lowe started with 18 months, reducing it for not attempting to meet a child, for being of good character and then a further 25 per cent for his guilty plea to nine months.

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He added: “I’m hoping that the very fact of you going through all this and the delay of the case plays into your hands.

“It does seem appropriate to suspend it for two years.”

Lewis was also ordered to undergo the Maps for Change programme during 30 rehabilitation activity days and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.