October 2026

David Gilbert jailed after s*xual messages to decoy

David Gilbert, 43, of Eaves Street, Blackpool, was sentenced to three years in prison at Preston Crown Court after sending s*xual messages to someone he believed was 14.

His previous victim had approached him for help in 2020 after becoming separated from her friends. Gilbert took the nine-year-old girl to a remote location and s*xually assaulted her. That offence resulted in a 10-year S*xual Harm Prevention Order.

The court heard Gilbert later contacted “Phoebe”, a fictional 14-year-old profile operated by paedophile hunters. Despite being told her age, he continued the conversations, requested inappropriate photographs and sent an explicit image of himself before deleting it.

Police arrested him after the group traced him. He pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in s*xual communications with a child, attempting to breach his S*xual Harm Prevention Order and failing to comply with s*x offender notification requirements concerning messaging accounts. Gilbert told police he had “just wanted to make a friend”.