Sunderland man faces jail over sex chat with 14-year-old boy who was really an undercover police officer

A Sunderland man snared talking sex online to undercover police he believed to be a 14-year-old boy faces jail.

Gavin McDonald, 41, faces a minimum six months behind bars for his communication with a decoy profile he thought was real.

During contact on Thursday, October 27, McDonald, of Millburn Street, Millfield, made sexual suggestions, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.

He did so via the Randochat app, using the online moniker mackemman41, prosecutor Mike Lawson said.

But he quickly ended the connection and deleted the messages in what his solicitor claimed was the moment he came to his senses.

McDonald pleaded guilty to a charge of being an adult attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

His acceptance of guilt means he is now on the sex offender register and subject to its notification requirements.

Mr Lawson said: “The offence arose out of an undercover police operation online. It was a decoy profile, pretending to be a 14-year-old boy.

“The police were operating a decoy programme on messaging app Randochat. He has exchanged messages as mackemman41.

“The officer did disclose that they were a 14-year-old boy. Sexual communication has passed between police and the decoy.

“The defendant has no previous convictions, but he does have four historic cautions, though nothing related to sexual matters. The starting point is six months custody.”

Gerry Armstrong, defending, said: “I do not think there was any intention whatsoever.

“This was two or three minutes of communication by a man who was at the time at a very low mental health level. He’s now getting help.

“When you look at some of the messages, I don’t even know what direction he was going. He ended the call and deleted.

“He will accept that he said things he shouldn’t and suggested things that he shouldn’t.”

District Judge Zoe Passfield told McDonald she needed more information about his pattern of behaviour before sentencing.

She ordered a Probation Service report and granted him unconditional bail to be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, June 14.

• A spokesperson for McDonald's family said after the hearing that he was no longer living at the family home in Millburn Street