A man wept as he was sentenced to prison for sexual communication with a 'child' online, after inquiring in court, "Am I going to prison now?"

Abdulhamed Solten, aged 26, started chatting with a girl, supposedly 13, on Facebook Messenger. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually conversing with an adult decoy from a vigilante group. Despite the girl repeatedly stating her age, he acknowledged how young she was and admitted it would be problematic if her family checked their conversation.

As their chat progressed, it took on a sexual nature. Solten asked the girl to perform a sexual act on herself and to send a video of it. Solten, a resident of Longsight, was confronted by the vigilante group at Manchester Victoria station before being arrested by the police. He later pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court.

In court, Huw Edwards, the prosecutor, explained that the decoy was from a child protection group named Stop, aimed at exposing adults who prey on children. Solten initiated the conversation despite being informed very early on about the decoy's claimed age.

Solten consistently acknowledged the girl's young age, advising her to delete their messages. However, the conversation continued to become explicitly sexual, where he inquired about her sexual experiences and explicitly encouraged inappropriate actions.

Solten arranged to meet the girl at Manchester Victoria station but was instead met by members of the child protection group and taken into custody. During his police interview, he confessed to the conversation and admitted that he believed he was talking to a 13-year-old.

Initially, Solten pleaded not guilty but later changed his plea to guilty for charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Defense attorney Rachel White highlighted Solten's difficult past and his feelings of shame and remorse. Solten, a refugee from Ethiopia, had faced numerous hardships and lived a solitary life.

Expressing genuine remorse, Solten reflected on the significant shame the offense brought upon him, particularly in his community. Judge Tom Gilbart emphasized the gravity of his actions and the potential harm caused to vulnerable young people online.

Solten, residing at Richmond Grove, was sentenced to 28 months in prison. Overcome with emotion, he asked through his interpreter if he was indeed going to prison, and upon confirmation from the judge, he wept visibly.