A convicted paedophile plotted to travel to meet and rape an eight-year-old using a Lion King toy to groom her.

Bearded Nicholas Jenner from Chatham, believed he was talking to the mother of the victim after meeting in a chatroom.

Judge Recorder David Jeremy QC jailed him for six years after telling him: "You thought you were paying a mother to pimp her own child, you thought the child was being sold for sex."

He ruled that Jenner still posed a serious risk of further offences and added another four years which will be served on licence when he is released.

But the 47-year-old who offered £200 for an hour with 'Erin' to carry out his sick fantasies, was in fact talking with an undercover police officer.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Jenner, of Meadow Bank Road, stopped communicating days before he was due to meet his victim in September.

His barrister Shanda McAteer said: "To him it was just a fantasy... and he knew he couldn't go through with it.

"He accepts he has an interest in children but genuinely wants to tackle his problem and is remorseful."

In 2016 Jenner was convicted of downloading vile sex images of children and was given supervision after breaching the rules to notify the police but within days he started planning to rape the child.

Balding Jenner shook his head in the dock as the judge read out parts of a probation report which highlight his "entrenched" interest in child sex.

It was revealed that Jenner is in a relationship with a woman who is the mother of an eight-year-old who condemned his actions as "horrible and disgusting" but says there's was a "caring and loving" relationship.

He also encouraged his lover to dress up and role-play, the court heard.

Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour told how Jenner, who admitted attempting to meet with a child, had gone on a social networking site and unknowingly made contact with the undercover officer .

His first question to the mother was: 'Any pictures of your daughter?'

During subsequent chats online, Jenner outlined his sick plan.

Mr Pahlavanpour added: "He sent a photograph of himself to the operative. He said he wasn't going to mess anyone around and he was up for this.

"He also inquired if there were any limits as to his conduct."

He also said he would bring a Lion King toy.

"He said he wasn't going to mess anyone around and he was up for this..."

Jenner then arranged to travel to a Starbucks Cafe in Cardiff but stopped communicating days before he was due to travel.

When he was arrested, Jenner had deleted all of the chatlogs - but the picture he had sent was found on his phone.

After sentencing, PC Emma Walshaw said: "Jenner was a registered sex offender and as such was already subject to a strict monitoring regime by our officers.

"As a result, when these latest offences came to our attention we were able to respond promptly and bring him to justice.

"He attempted to commit another extremely serious offence with the intention of abusing a young child.

"We work hard to safeguard the public, including children, from dangerous offenders and his sentence reflects the gravity of his behaviour."

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