A GRANDFATHER got drunk and messaged who he thought was a 14-year-old girl online – sending her pornography.

South Wales Police received a report from its child online safety team on January 14 after Dean Helyar had been talking online with a decoy account.

Helyar had messaged the decoy on Facebook messenger on January 12, and the decoy told him they were a 14-year-old girl from Newcastle.

The conversation moved to WhatsApp, and the following day Helyar sent pornographic images to the ‘child’.

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Officers arrested Helyar at his Pontardawe home on January 15, and the court heard that he made “full and frank admissions” in interview.

“He stated he had drunk heavily throughout January 12 and 13 and wasn’t thinking straight,” the prosecution told the court.

“He stated he was lonely.

“The defendant said he did not do it for sexual gratification, but because he was drunk.”

Helyar said he woke up the following morning and, realising what he had done, deleted the messages from his phone.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.

The court heard that he had three previous convictions prior to the offence, and has had a fourth since.

“The defendant pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity in the magistrates’ court,” Mr Williams said in mitigation.

“He made full admissions to the police in interview.

“The defendant, on this particular occasion, had consumed a large amount of alcohol.

“He’s totally disgusted by his behaviour on that occasion.”

Mr Williams told the court that Helyar accepted that his behaviour was “wrong” and now admitted that he did gain sexual gratification from it.

He added that the defendant had “a history of alcohol use and abuse” and there were “issues unresolved from childhood”.

“Clearly given his background he is in need of some help or intervention,” Mr Williams added.

The court heard that Helyar’s children had “turned their back on [him]” after his offending came to light.

“That moment of folly has already had life-changing consequences to you. It should be a message to all people out there,” Judge Geraint Walters said.

“It’s an area that no adult should go to at all.”

Judge Walters said that because there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, he was legally obligated to suspend Helyar’s sentence.

The 44-year-old defendant was sentenced to 12 months running concurrently for each offence, each suspended for two years. He must complete the Horizon programme, a 12-month alcohol treatment requirement, and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must register as a sex offender for 10 years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.