Mark Richards from Theale denies trying to meet boy, 13, for sex

AN alleged paedophile drove to a burger restaurant thinking he was going to have sex with a 13-year-old boy, a jury has heard.

But 67-year-old Mark Richards was in for a shock.

For, instead of a schoolboy, he was confronted by undercover detectives.

Mr Richards, of Leonard Court, off James Butcher Drive in Theale, denies arranging to meet a child in Burger King in Newbury to engage in sexual activity with him.

He further denies communicating with a child to persuade him to engage in such activity.

Finally, Mr Richards denies attempting to communicate with a 13-year-old for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification in Theale.

All the offences were said to have occurred on January 16, 2021.

Gary Rutter, opening the case for the prosecution at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, January 17, said Mr Richards was caught in an undercover operation by Thames Valley Police’s South East Regional Organised Crime Unit.

An officer had pretended to be a boy aged 13 using the gay dating app SCRUFF.

The conversation migrated to WhatsApp, where it turned sexual, the court heard.

Eventually a rendezvous was arranged at Burger King.

When officers swooped, they found a ‘bum bag’ in the car containing lube and condoms.

The father-of-two initially insisted he had gone there simply because he was hungry.

He subsequently acknowledged the conversation with ‘Connor’, but denied he had believed he was going to meet a child.

Mr Richards had initially told Connor, whose online profile identified him as a child: “I’m sorry, you’re a bit young for me.”

Nevertheless the conversation subsequently became sexual, the court heard.

But Mr Richards told police in interview that he had felt there was something amiss and that ‘Connor’ was in fact, an older man.

He said he had decided to play along to “catch him out” and told police: “If this child was real then he needed some help.”

Mr Richards said he had the bag “because I’m a gay man and I go ‘cruising’”.

Mr Richards insisted he had no sexual interest in children and that, if Connor had indeed turned out to be a schoolboy he “would have been horrified”.

He added: “I would have said to him ‘go and get some counselling and support’.”

Mr Richards said he had warned Connor to be careful, adding: “There’s a lot of sick, predatory men out there.”

A detective who gave evidence of the operation agreed with James McCrindle, defending, that an examination of Mr Richards’ mobile phone and other devices had found no indecent images of children.

Neither was any indication found of a sexual interest in children, the court heard.

The trial continues.