A man was said to have sent a 13-year-old ‘girl’ a picture of himself wearing ladies’ underwear.

Prosecutors say Michael Hall, 53, also sent ‘Elisha’ videos of himself performing lude sex acts and gave her explicit instructions about using sex toys.

The ‘girl’ to whom then 49-year-old Hall was talking was, in fact, a grown woman working with so-called paedophile hunter group the Geordie Chasers. Members of the group, including the woman operating the decoy social media profiles, confronted the defendant when she travelled from Newcastle to Reading to meet him in spring 2018.

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The former Berkshire man denies seven charges, including attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Opening the case for the prosecution on Monday afternoon, Matthew Walsh told jurors at Oxford Crown Court that Hall claimed in his police interview he believed ‘Elisha’ was over-18.

Where she had repeatedly written in their messages to each other that she was 13, he suggested that ‘may have been a typo’, Mr Walsh summarised.

As time went on, he thought that ‘something wasn’t quite right’. Her answers to questions he asked were ‘a bit suspicious’ and he believed pictures she had sent him showed an ‘adult girl’.

He was asked by officers why he had sent sexualised videos of himself to the ‘girl’, including one in which he was sporting a sex toy and another of him wearing knickers he claimed to have bought her. Mr Walsh said Hall told the police he was ‘seeing what sort of reaction he would get’.

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The prosecutor told the 12-member jury that there was no issue between the Crown and Hall’s lawyers that the defendant sent the messages, pictures and videos.

“The issue in this case, really, is this: are you sure he believed he was dealing with somebody under the age of 16? Are you sure he was dealing with someone, communicating with someone under the age of 16,” Mr Walsh said.

Hall was said to have met ‘Elisha’ on social media websites Lovoo and Kik Messenger in early 2018 before their conversation moved on to WhatsApp.

‘Elisha’ allegedly repeated said that she was 13-years-old throughout their online conversations. Hall was said to have asked for pictures of her in her school uniform and, later, for images of her wearing underwear or a swimsuit.

Hall, formerly of Manche, Normandy, has pleaded not guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

The trial continues.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward