Man offered gran £300 to let him abuse baby girl

A paedophile who offered a woman £300 to let him sexually abuse her baby granddaughter has been jailed for four years and one month.

Craig Binns, 31, also "bragged" to the woman he had previously paid other people to let him rape their children, including £1,000 to violate a two-year-old girl, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The horrified woman, who had met him less than three weeks earlier on a dating website, took screenshots of his messages and gave them immediately to police.

Binns, of Cross Avenue in Wallsend, admitted three offences including attempting to pay for the sexual services of a child and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

Binns and the woman met on a dating app and chatted for a few weeks before finally meeting in November, with him taking her for a drive in his car, prosecutor Claire Anderson said.

Days later Binns, who told the woman his surname was Dudgeon, talked about staying at her house and suggested the couple have a threesome with a child, the court heard.

He also asked the woman if she had ever thought about having "sex with people aged from one onwards", Ms Anderson said.

When he found out she had a 10-week-old granddaughter, he requested naked pictures of the child which he offered to pay for, the court heard.

Binns, a father of two, asked the woman if she had sexually touched the baby and if he could be left alone with the girl, the court heard.

The woman took screenshots of the Snapchat conversations which she sent to police but, fearing the risk he posed to children, continued messaging him to get more information about him, Ms Anderson said.

He repeatedly offered her money to let him sexually abuse the baby, including £300 in cash for a graphic sex act, the court heard.

Ms Anderson said Binns "bragged" about abusing other youths and said he had paid parents to let him "rape" their children, including a seven-year-old girl he raped and a two-year-old girl he claimed he gave £1,000 for.

The court heard there was no evidence he had actually carried out the abuse he boasted about.

A search of his devices found he had registered his internet account under a fake name and had made searches relating to families having sex.

Binns initially denied any wrongdoing and told police the Snapchat messages had been fabricated before going on to admit everything, the court heard.

Judge Edward Bindloss said Binns was attempting to groom the woman and make her an "accomplice" in his abuse of children.

But the woman "did the right thing" and went immediately to police, who also acted quickly to arrest Binns, the judge said, adding he commended both her and the officers for "their prompt actions".

Judge Bindloss said had the woman not done that, he was "entirely convinced" Binns would have abused the child.

He said Binns posed a "high risk" to children and would have to abide by a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offenders register for life.

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