Author and former civil servant Jonathan Quinnell, 62, was snared by Dank Dragon - a volunteer group of online paedophile hunters - and reported to police.
Judge Edward Connell told the father-of-three at Croydon Crown Court: “A paedophile hunting group was posing online as a fourteen year-old girl on the Mingle2 app and you began communicating with her.
“You moved those conversations to WhatsApp and sent texts and voice messages of a sexual nature.
“You described sexual acts you wished to engage with her and said if anyone saw the messages they would say it was grooming and you should go to prison.”
At his first appearance at Bromley Magistrates’ Court Quinnell, of Lea Close, Reading pleaded guilty to attempting to meet the decoy 14 year-old girl after sexual grooming between December 1 and 20, 2023.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between the same dates, namely touching, kissing and oral sex.
Until his arrest Quinnell was living in Orpington with his wife and son and living off a £1,000 per month private pension.
He boasts in his online profile of having over twenty years experience in his field and planning workshops for his clients.
He claims to have Higher Diplomas in hypnotherapy; life coaching; psychotherapy; philosophy and consumer affairs from the School of Natural Health Sciences.
Prosecutor Martin Ingle told the court: “He looked into journey times and train times, confirming his intention to meet her and spoke about what they would do when they met.
“At first it would be kissing and holding hands, but by December 16 he was messaging her to lay across his chest as he touched her skin.
“On December 17 the most sexually explicit message was sent at 11.17pm concerning her touching the inside of his thighs and putting his ‘p----‘ in her mouth.
Quinnell messaged: ‘I will show you everything.’
“He said he would be gentle and loving and would not hurt her,” added the prosecutor.
The group confronted him on the doorstep of his former Orpington home and posted the footage on their facebook account.
The police were informed and found evidence on Quinnell’s phone of communicating with a 12 year-old female decoy and other unknown under sixteen years-olds.
“There were solicitations message, asking the decoy child to send pictures of herself.”
Quinnell’s lawyer James Kelly said: “He has had to wait over two years between his arrest and sentencing. He has had this hanging over him.
“He is in bad health and has a mental and physical disability caused by oxygen deprivation when he had a heart attack, aged fourteen, causing brain damage.
“He walks with a cane and has a history of heart attacks in 2016 and 2017 and retired in 2005 after nineteen years in the civil service on medical grounds.
“He will continue to suffer. He is suffering family disruption, plus the shame and publicity he has been subjected to for his evil deeds.”
Judge Connell told Quinnell: “You said you were attracted to her and wanted to hug and kiss her, but later on that escalated and you talked about kissing her all over her body.”
In his probation report Quinnell refused to accept he has a sexual attraction to children, but suffered Executive Dysfunction - a brain syndrome that affects his ability to control emotions and impulses.
He wrote a letter to the judge, who announced: “You have expressed your horror and revulsion at these matters.
“The Probation Service are of the view you are a good prosecute for rehabilitation and I come to the conclusion, by the narrowest of margins, that I can suspend the prison sentence.”
Quinnell received twelve months imprisonment, suspended for two years and must complete 26 therapy sessions and 20 days of rehabilitation.
He was made subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, must sign the sex offenders register for the same period and pay £150 costs.
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