Description
An online pervert who repeatedly sent explicit messages and images to who he thought were young girls has finally been jailed after he was trapped in undercover police operations designed to "wheedle out" potentially dangerous people like him.
Serial offender Michael Warchol thought that he was exchanging messages with real girls but, unknown to him, they were decoys that had been set up by investigators, Hull Crown Court heard.
Warchol, 27, formerly of Orchard Park, Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted two sets of offences involving attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child to watch or look at images of sexual activity and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Maya Hanson, prosecuting, said that Warchol was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order at Hull Crown Court on December 21, 2023 for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
Police received information from the regional organised crime unit that Warchol had been having conversations with a decoy 12-year-old girl between December 4 and 19 last year. It began on the social media platform Kik and moved to Snapchat.
Warchol immediately sent an intimate picture of himself and the fake girl told him that she was 12 years old. Despite this, the conversation continued and Warchol sent another intimate picture of himself as well as an explicit video and a selfie-type image.
He asked the girl for images of herself and asked her about sexual activity. "He requested that they video call so that he could show her," said Miss Hanson.
Details of Warchol were obtained and facial recognition software matched an image that had been sent to the girl with him. He was arrested at his home on January 14. Police found 25 mobile phones, not all of them working, and a seemingly broken laptop.
On February 12, a further referral to the police was made by the East region special operations team regarding Warchol's communication with a decoy 14-year-old girl. He asked for a picture of the girl and, when one was sent to him, he sent an intimate image of himself.
He communicated with the fake girl between December 2 and 19. She told him that she was a child and that she had a day off school but the conversation continued. He sent a series of explicit images and asked intimate questions. He requested pictures of her and he told her: "U know what I really want of u." Warchol was arrested on March 11 but he made no comment to all questions. His previous convictions included possessing an offensive weapon in 2019.
David Godfrey, mitigating, said that the offences were serious but Warchol had pleaded guilty. Drug and alcohol use had affected his impulse control. Warchol was emotionally insecure for his age and he had never had a social group.
"He knows that, when he gets out of prison, he is going to have to stay off his computer and fight these urges and understand why he keeps engaging in this behaviour," said Mr Godfrey. Warchol realised that it was the police's job to "wheedle out people like this" by using decoys. It was possible that he might be deported to Poland.
Warchol was jailed for two-and-a-half years. He was given a sexual harm prevention order for life and he must register as a sex offender for life.