A judge has advised a despicable paedophile to face the truth after deciding not to send him to prison. Martin Ryder, aged 56, engaged in sexual conversations with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl on a messaging platform, but in reality, he was communicating with a member of a ‘paedophile hunter’ group.
Upon being confronted by the group at his residence, Ryder was arrested, leading to the discovery of 46 indecent images of children in his possession. Among these images, 15 were classified as the most severe category A, 18 as category B, and 13 as category C, some involving the sexual assault of infants and young children.
During the proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court, prosecutor Ian Criddle explained that the crimes were exposed by a paedophile hunter group creating a profile of a supposed child named Ella on the social media site Chat-Avenue. Despite being informed that Ella was 13 years old, Ryder proceeded to engage in explicit conversations of a sexual nature.
The conversations, spanning from October 4 to 7 the previous year, escalated to Ryder asking inappropriate questions about the girl’s body and requesting explicit photos. Subsequently, on October 8, he was confronted by the group and later arrested.
Ryder, residing in Seaforth, Merseyside, admitted guilt to multiple charges, including possessing indecent images of children, attempting sexual communications with a child, and possessing extreme pornography involving bestiality. His defense lawyer, Zahra Khan, highlighted Ryder’s isolation and health issues as underlying factors in his behavior, emphasizing his lack of prior criminal history.
In sentencing Ryder, Judge Gary Woodhall acknowledged his remorse but pointed out Ryder’s attraction to children, as evidenced by his actions and statements. Despite deeming him a low risk for reoffending, Judge Woodhall handed Ryder a 12-month suspended prison sentence, along with rehabilitation days, mental health treatment requirements, and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
