Sex offender pleads guilty after arranging to meet young girl

Robert Nicholson, of Queensway, Potterhanworth, also had his licence extended when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Tuesday, after he pleaded guilty to being an adult attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 after grooming.

The 54-year-old, who was already subject to a sexual harm prevention order and is now on the sex offenders’ register for life, began talking to the girl in March.

But the girl he thought he was speaking to was in fact an undercover online operative officer.

Nicholson arranged to meet the girl at The Carlton Centre in Lincoln where he intended to pick her up and take her somewhere secluded to engage in sexual activity, the court heard.

He had purchased a pack of tea towels from B&M on the day and later admitted in interview after his arrest that these were for cleaning himself or the teen after the activity.

Detective Constable Gemma Oxby, officer in charge, said: “Nicholson is a clear example of today’s high-risk offender towards children.

“He made it very clear that he intended to seek attention from a person online and when he established that she was a 13-year-old girl he felt it would be easier to lure her and encourage her into sexual activity as well as sexual intercourse.”

DC Oxby added: “Using an online, covert platform with a false identity, Nicholson made a predatory attempt to entice a child away from a safe place to a secluded destination for the purpose of sexual gratification.

“He even went equipped with the means to ‘clean’ the potential victim.

“This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire.”