Sunderland sex offender admits attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child as judge raises concerns over court delay

In WhatsApp messages, Wayne Sudama, 49, also wrote he wanted to run his hands through her hair and kiss her from ear to ear.

But Sudama, of Tanfield Street, Ford Estate, had been hoodwinked by a paedophile hunter group.

They recorded his every word between December 9 and December 30, 2021 - and handed their evidence to police

Despite having the information that month, detectives failed to pass their file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) until December last year.

The hold up meant the CPS only brought a child sexual communications charge against Sudama in January.

During that time, he offended again by breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), imposed in 2017 for a similar attempt to meet a schoolgirl.

The three-year delay in advancing the case brought the wrath of District Judge Zoe Passfield.

She said it was “concerning” it had taken police so long to hand over their evidence and ordered the CPS to get answers from the Northumbria force.

Sudama contacted the decoy on the First Fling app, claiming his name was Styles, prosecutor Emily Hunt said.

At that point, the decoy revealed she was 14, and Sudama said he was 45.

Ms Hunt said chats switched to WhatsApp, with Sudama writing, ‘If I could have my way, I’d have you, I’d be all over you.

“I’d want to grab your hands and pull you close, run my hands through your hair and slowly down your back then your hips and down on to your neck.

‘My hands run slowly through your hair, down your back and onto your bum, squeeze it, kiss your neck from one ear down under your chin along to your other ear.’

Sudama pleaded guilty to being an adult attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child for sexual gratification.

The energy firm worker was convicted in 2017 of attempting to meet a schoolgirl, with the court being told he was on his way to her when arrested.

Last July, he pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, imposed after his earlier sex conviction.

He did so by using aliases online and having a bank account he had not informed police about.

Peter Thubron, defending, said Sudama’s offence with the decoy was several years ago and he was being rehabilitated.

Judge Passfield ordered an all-options report and told Sudama he would be sentenced at the same court on Thursday, May 22.

She imposed an indefinite SHPO, to run alongside his existing order, and ordered the CPS to explain at sentencing why the case had been delayed.

The judge said: “There’s a really concerning issue that it took the police three years to get this matter before the court.

“This is my concern, that this has sat in the background for the past three years.”

She added: “This should have been in court in 2022.”