THE sentence of a man who attempted to groom young girls on line has been further adjourned.

Ricky Martin Bradley, 27, of Prince of Wales Avenue in Flint, was on a suspended sentence when he was caught doing it again by on-line paedophile hunters.

Mold Crown Court was told that Ricky Martin Bradley had admitted at the magistrates’ court six charges of sexual grooming.

But the charges needed to be amended to “attempts” because he was speaking to adults, not children.

Bradley was further remanded in custody pending sentence in two weeks’ time.

Judge Huw Rees agreed to adjourn the case for an addendum to be prepared to the pre-sentence report now that a psychological report had been prepared.

The judge said the report showed that he had a social anxiety disorder and a probable schizotypal disorder.

It was suggested that he needed extensive social skills training.

Judge Rees said that while he was quite prepared to adjourn so the court could be fully informed, he said it remained a very serious matter.

“The defendant will understand that I am not indicating any form of sentence. I simply want to know as much as possible.

“I have in mind a sentence of imprisonment. This is a serious set of offences all committed in breach of a relatively recently imposed suspended sentence for similar offending.”

Phillip Clemo, defending, said that the probation service took the view that they could work with the defendant.

He had been arrested when he was due to start the rehabilitative part of his previous suspended sentence.

Mr Clemo said he appreciated that his client was in a serious position but an addendum to the pre-sentence report, in light of the medical evidence, would be appropriate.

If he went into custody he could be out in about a year and that the would not sufficient time for his issues to be addressed.

He would come out and matters would not be any better because little effective work would have been done in the prison system.

The defendant, said Mr Clemo, was “extremely willing” to do whatever needed to be done.

The case had been sent to crown court by local magistrates who heard that Bradley believed he was chatting to girls aged 12 and 13. He asked to meet some of them and suggested they have a relationship.

But what he didn’t know was that he was speaking to an on-line decoy for a paedophile hunters group and he was arrested.

Bradley told police that he could not stop himself and claimed not to know why he was doing it.

He appeared from custody at Flintshire Magistrates’ Court in January, and admitted six offences of sexual grooming.

The defendant was already on a suspended prison sentence from the crown court last summer for doing the same thing.

Prosecutor Rhian Jackson told magistrates that in August the defendant received a 12 month suspended prison sentence for two offences of grooming.

He was then placed on rehabilitation, was ordered to register with the police as a se. offender and a sexual harm prevention order was made.

But it turned out that in January he had contacted six girls on-line believing them to be aged 12 and 13 and that contact was sexual.

The victims were, however, fictitious, she said.

Arrested and interviewed, he made full admissions.

Mrs Jackson said “He apologised, he said he needed help, but said he could not stop himself.”

He claimed that he would not have met up with a child and could not explain why he had asked to meet in chat logs or why he had asked some of them to have a relationship with him.