But the youngsters with whom he exchanged the disgusting WhatsApp messages were not children but, in fact, a South Wales Police officer and members of paedophile hunter groups Angels for Innocents and Justice 4 Kids.

Jailing him for four years and nine months at Swindon Crown Court, Judge Peter Crabtree said: “Your offending reveals a blatant disregard [for the] sexual harm prevention order and a determination to communicate with young females between the ages of 12 and 14.” 

Prosecutor Stephanie Painter earlier told the court that Warminster man Weeks was given a two year suspended sentence last May for attempted sexual communication with a child and similar offences.

Within weeks he’d breached that suspended sentence and a sexual harm prevention order requiring him to register digital devices with the police. 

From June he was in possession of Alcatel mobile phones he’d not told the police about. He bought one of the unregistered phones the day after police seized another mobile. 

Between September and the start of November he breached the order by using the internet to attempt to contact someone he believed to be under-16. He initially met them on website Say Hi, before moving the conversations onto WhatsApp.

Ms Painter said Weeks had sent WhatsApp messages to a decoy account named in court only as Erin, talking to her in explicit detail about sex. He believed her to be 12. On October 30, he said she would have saved up enough the following month to visit and he would find them somewhere quiet where they could “kiss and cuddle”. 

He repeatedly called another girl, Paige, “baby” and paid her compliments. Again, he thought she was 12. He told her he’d had a 15-year-old girlfriend when he was 25. 

A third girl, Molly, was told by Weeks that she was gorgeous and he could “easily love her” if she was older. He believed she was 14. 

On October 31 last year he travelled to Swindon to meet what he thought was a fourth girl, 13-year-old Catherine, but was met at the railway station by members of vigilante group Angels for Innocents.

A day earlier, he asked the “girl” if she’d be his girlfriend and said they could find somewhere quiet to kiss when they met up. He asked her to keep the meeting secret. 

Weeks, of Cotswold Close, Warminster, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to breaching his sexual harm prevention order, attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a child after grooming.

He appeared in court via video link from HMP Bullingdon.

A 10 year sexual harm prevention order remains in force. Weeks must register as a sex offender for life. 

He had been due to be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Friday for two breaches of his sexual harm prevention order, three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a 13-year-old “girl” for sex on October 31, 2020.

But after reading a probation report detailing his compliance with the earlier order, Judge Peter Crabtree ordered a fresh report.

It will look specifically at whether Weeks should be assessed as a dangerous offender, meaning he could serve longer in prison and be subject to a lengthier period on licence.

The judge stressed he was not giving any indication of whether he was going to rule Weeks dangerous, but said he wanted to explore the question “for obvious public protection reasons”.

Weeks, of Cotswold Close, Warminster, but appearing before the court via video link from HMP Bullingdon, will be sentenced on March 12.

Tom Wilkins appeared for the Crown Prosecution Service. Alec Small represented Weeks.

Last year, Wiltshire Police promised that Weeks, who was given a two year suspended prison sentence, would be carefully monitored to ensure he would not re-offend.

June 2020

Frederick Weeks was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years