Sex offender pensioner who asked to see images of babies being abused jailed
A "dangerous" pensioner who offered money to see babies and children being abused overseas during depraved online conversations has been put behind bars.
George Laidler, who has already served a prison sentence for child sex attacks, asked how much it would cost for very young children to be abused on camera in Africa.
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During one conversation, with what he believed to a 15-year-old schoolboy in Ghana, Laidler requested to view sexual activity involving a six-year-old.
The 78-year-old, of Warwick Terrace, in Silksworth, Sunderland, also discussed a sex act being carried out on a "baby boy" but when he was told the lad was aged nine, Laidler said that was "too old".
Newcastle Crown Court heard the vile chats were exposed when a worker at a bail hostel found a secret phone which Laidler, as a registered sex offender, should have declared to the authorities.
As well as the conversations, Laidler had a child abuse video and an extreme pornography image on the handset.
He admitted attempted sexual communication with a child, three charges of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, making an indecent photograph of a child, possessing of an extreme porn image and breach of a sexual harm prevention order.
The court heard in 2018 Laidler was locked up for three indecent assaults on children and child abuse images offences.
Recorder Toby Hedworth KC today jailed him for six years and eight months.
The recorder said: "The chat on the phone indicates you were communicating with what you deemed to be individuals in Africa, particularly Ghana and you were seeking from those opportunities to engage remotely in sexual offences with extremely young children.
"Any review of the words exchanged between you and those you were communicating with indicates the most depraved conduct on your behalf and the most depraved desires."
The recorder told Laidler: "You are, and remain in my view, a danger to members of the community if you were to have access to children.
"You are 78 years of age now and I have to have regard to that in terms of when and if you will be able to return to the community."
Shaun Routledge, defending, said the conversations showed the people on the other end of the chats were "more interested in getting money out of the defendant".