Persistent sex offender fell for paedophile hunters' trap

A PERSISTENT sex offender added three young girls as Facebook friends and asked them for explicit pictures.

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Nottingham Crown Court heard how Phillip Smith, 52, pictured, “became impatient” when they did not respond immediately.

But the “teens” were really paedophile hunters posing as young girls to entrap him.

Jailing Smith, of Dennis Avenue, Beeston, for two and a half years, Recorder Ruth Coffey said: “If these were real children there is a real risk of serious harm and the damage for them is potentially very long lasting.

“You were sending text and Facebook messages to girls you thought were 13 or 14.