A man found himself in the dock after engaging in sexualised online chat with a person he believed to be a young girl.

Colin Roomes, of Edward Street in Wrexham, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Thursday afternoon.

The 43-year-old had previously admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child at Wrexham last year.

Andrew Green, prosecuting, told the court that on August 17, Roomes messaged the Facebook account of a Holly Baxter to say 'hi'.

Holly told him she was 14, but he carried on talking to her - with his chat eventually turning to him carrying out a sex act on himself, calling the girl a "cutie" and telling her he would have sex with her when she turned 18.

He asked her where she lived and asked if she was single - with a Judge branding his views "perverted."

Luckily, Holly Baxter didn't exist. The person on the other end of the conversation was in fact an adult member of the public who had set up the account as a decoy.

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The contents of the chat were handed over to the police and Roomes was arrested in November last year.

John Wyn Williams, defending, told the court: "At the age of 43, Mr Roomes finds himself before the court and realises how serious his position might be this afternoon.

"At least he had the good sense to plead guilty. His remorse is set out in the pre-sentence report.

"And it would seem he does have an insight into his offending."

Mr Wyn Williams asked the court to consider drawing back from immediate custody and impose a sentence in the community with probation elements to address his client's risk of further offending.

Judge Rhys Rowlands told the defendant: "It's worrying and completely unnatural behaviour on the part of a middle-aged man, seeking out a child for sexual gratification.

"An aggravating feature is the suggestion that you wanted at some point in the future to have sex with the decoy.

"There was a significant disparity between your age and that of the supposed child - some 30 years.

"You'd have been old enough to be her father, had she existed."

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The Judge said that while Roomes was "plainly an inadequate individual with perverted views," the community would be better protected by him undergoing a longer punishment in the community with rehabilitative steps, as opposed to a comparatively short time behind bars.

Because of that, the Judge handed down a two year community order with a programme requirement of 45 days, a further 45 days of rehabilitation activity and an £800 fine.

He must also pay £1,200 towards prosecution costs and a £187 victim surcharge.

Roomes must register as a sex offender and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.