A SECURITY guard has avoided jail after he was caught sending sexual images to a 13-year-old girl, a court heard.

Mark Mengham sent video clips of himself performing a sex act to a teenage girl. 

The 60-year-old had in fact been communicating with a decoy profile run by the "paedophile hunting" group, No Excuses.

Prosecution barrister, Mary Aspinall-Miles, told how Mengham of Alfred Close, Totton, matched with the youth on messaging app, Badoo.

However, he continued speaking to her despite being told she was just 13.

Ms Aspinall-Miles told how Mengham asked for naked photos and even sent a video of himself pleasuring himself.

READ MORE: Paedophile hunters active in Hampshire welcome tougher sentences

The court heard, that when the decoy profile claimed her mother was in the room, Mengham told her to delete any messages.

He was arrested in January 2021 and pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity.

Ms Aspinall-Miles added that it appeared that the defendant committed the offences whilst he was at work.

But defending, Tom Horder said there was a “real lack of thought” from his client as to what he was doing.

He went on to say that Mengham has no previous convictions, and it was “highly unlikely this is someone that is going to be in trouble again".

READ MORE: Snapchat paedophile jailed at Southampton Crown Court

Mr Horder said that the defendant has struggled with his mental health, "even more so since he was arrested and that most of his close family have passed away".

Judge Nicholas Rowland noted the disparity in age between Mengham and the girl he thought he was talking to.

However, he said there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.

For the offences that happened between December 2020 and January 2021, Mengham was jailed for nine months but suspended for two years.

He also ordered him to complete 40 rehabilitation sessions pay a victim surcharge and court costs and register as a sex offender.

He also made a sexual harm prevention order to last for the next five years.

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