Paedophile brought WKD and Mini Eggs to McDonald’s meet up with ’13-year-old girl’

A paedophile took baby wipes and Mini Eggs with him to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl at McDonald’s.

Paul Coulthwaite had called the child “sexy” and said he wanted them to meet in secret, planning to lure her away from her home.

But the 55-year-old didn’t get to give the girl the WKD and Mini Eggs he bought her as he was greeted by police who were pretending to be 13-year-old Paige and they arrested him for his sickening offences, Liverpool ECHO reports.

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting at Liverpool Crown Court, said that between January 7 and January 19 this year Coulthwaite spoke with an officer who was pretending the schoolgirl and “within minutes” of the first message the defendant said, “I’m a bit horny”.

Coulthwaite continued to see wanted to meet so they could “cuddle and have a cheeky kiss” before suggesting he could shower with the child.

When the ‘girl’ told him she was going to bed the sickening pervert told her she should perform a sex act on herself.

Mr Hopkins said Coulthwaite would persistently groom what he thought was a child and “manipulated the conversation to sexual content at any opportunity and used flattery”.

Between January 8 and February 10 in the same year Coulthwaite also spoke with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl called Rebecca.

He suggested they met and said: “We could meet away from your house one day when there’s no lockdown.”

Mr Hopkins explained Coulthwaite told the girl he wanted them to be “online boyfriend and girlfriend” and “told her repeatedly contact between them needed to be secret”.

Coulthwaite said they would “kiss and cuddle and feel each other” before listing sex acts he wanted to perform.

When the police officer, pretending to be the girl, said she had “never cuddled and kissed a grown up” Coulthwaite said “hopefully that will change”.

On February 12 he travelled from his Newton-Le-Willows home to a McDonald’s on Longsands in Preston where he was hoping to meet the girl.

Having asked her “what she would like him to bring” the girl asked for WKD which Coulthwaite brought with him.

Instead of a schoolgirl he was greeted by police officers who found that he had also brought baby wipes, a kitchen towel, a mint Aero chocolate, Mini Eggs and a necklace in a gift bag with the girl’s name on.

Charlotte Kenny, defending, said: “This defendant is very much a man who is struggling still to come to terms with what he’s done.”

Kenny explained that Coulthwaite had no prior sexual offence convictions and the trigger for this behaviour was the end of a long term relationship.

Coulthwaite, of Haydock Street, Newton-Le-Willows, admitted two counts of sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and meeting a child following sexual grooming.

Judge Thomas Teague, QC, said Coulthwaite’s sexual intent was confirmed when he turned up and “by the articles you brought”.

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The sentence was reduced to reflect Coulthwaite’s guilty plea and the current impact of the coronavirus pandemic on prisoners.

Coulthwaite was jailed for three years and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He must also adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life which bans him from being in the presence of any child under 16 unless social services are aware.