A ‘paedophile hunter’ branded a judge’s decision to let a defendant walk from court with a suspended sentence as ‘unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable’.

Timothy Hillsdon, 60, sent explicit messages to what he thought were teenage girls in 2019. The profiles with whom he was talking on social media website ChatHour were, in fact, operated by volunteers from vigilante group Scorpion Hunters.

A member of the group – this time posing as an adult woman – befriended lonely Hillsdon and set up an ambush under the guise of a date.

The court heard that the defendant had sold his business and moved away from Kidlington as a result of the offending coming to light.

At the end of the hearing, after Hillsdon was given a suspended prison sentence, a man in the public gallery understood to be a member of the group that had unmasked the defendant, scoffed: “Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.”

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Recorder John Hardy QC responded to an empty bench, the expostulator having stormed out of court: “It’s not unbelievable.”

Earlier, the judge told the defendant: “For some reason or other, after having led a blameless existence and a good family life and a good working life you went into a place – I’m going to call it a place – which was a bad place in your life and you engaged in behaviour which is frankly quite repulsive.

“Nonetheless I take into account the following factors in sentencing you as I do.

“Firstly, your timely pleas of guilty. Secondly, your previous good character. Thirdly, the fact that you have been out of trouble since the last offence date. Fourthly, the fact you have a supportive family unit and a relatively new partner who has provided a letter of reference which I have read.

“Most importantly, on account I suspect that you sensibly secured high-quality legal advice in this matter you have referred yourself for therapy.”

He imposed one year’s imprisonment suspended for two years. Hillsdon must do up to 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days with the probation service and pay £650 costs.

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Prosecutor Patricia May said Hillsdon had sent explicit messages to six ‘decoy’ accounts run by members of the Scorpion Hunters group in 2019, asking the ‘girls’ to perform sex acts on themselves.

When police seized his digital devices after being called-out by the paedophile hunter group, they found 67 indecent images of children and 44 prohibited images.

Hillsdon, formerly of High Street, Kidlington, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to attempted sexual communication, attempted incitement of a child to engage in sexual activity and possession of indecent images of children. He had no previous convictions.

He must register as a sex offender and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

Mitigating, Peter du Feu said of his client: "His reputation is, of course, destroyed and many would say rightly so. He recognises that and doesn't complain about that. He's relocated and he's effectively lost his business. The idea that he's not been punished - but he has."

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