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A pervert who plotted to kidnap a Folkestone 'schoolgirl' and keep her tied up in his wardrobe has been locked up.

But Alistair Chapman, of Easton Street, Portland, Dorset, was in fact speaking to a decoy from paedophile hunting group Shadow Hunters UK.

The 29-year-old detailed his sick plot in online chats with a 14-year-old called Lucy, who he arranged to meet at a railway station near Folkestone in April last year.

A court heard the dad-of-two told her he would restrain her with cable ties and duct tape and put her in the back of his BMW before heading back to his home.

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During his month-long chats, Chapman also sent the girl videos of himself tied up at his flat and wearing a dress, and spoke of getting her pregnant by the time she was 15.

(Image: Shadow Hunters UK)

But, having arranged to pick Lucy up from Sandling station on April 21 last year, with an instruction to bring her school uniform, Chapman drove into the car park to be met by paedophile vigilantes.

Maidstone Crown Court was told Lucy was in fact a decoy set up by Shadow Hunters UK to "smoke out" depraved individuals such as Chapman.

The 29-year-old immediately left the car park but the group informed police and handed over their evidence.

A subsequent search of his flat revealed 'bondage equipment' including cable ties, rolls of duct tape and coils of black cord.

'Very disgraceful conduct'

Jailing him, Judge Stephen Thomas said his behaviour was 'extreme and inexcusable'.

"In the course of conversations with the girl you described penetrative sex with her and other practices which you intended to carry out," the judge told Chapman.

"You were telling her that you would bind her up, take her back to your flat, put her in a cupboard and detain her.

"You indicated you would get her pregnant and a whole range of activities which on any spectrum would have been extreme but in the context of a 14-year-old girl were completely beyond what would be seen to be acceptable.

(Image: Shadow Hunters UK)

"This was a serious set of communications and went beyond would could be said to be disgraceful conduct, even very disgraceful conduct."

Judge Thomas added that Chapman had shown 'a considerable degree of planning' in bringing his 'fantasy kidnap' to fruition.

"Although this was fantasy, you were telling her what you were going to do and to meet you nonetheless," he said.

"This was very real in your own mind and something you thought you could achieve and would achieve. That is a troubling state of mind.

"There was no victim as such but one must bear in mind you didn't know that."

German-born Chapman began talking to the decoy on March 22 last year, with their subsequent chatlogs running to 400 pages in the court documents.

' He expressed a desire to take her home, put her in a wardrobe and engage in sexual activity'

Prosecutor Paul Valder said the pervert repeatedly talked about tying Lucy up and having sex with her.

"The defendant stated that he would like to tie her up with duct tape and cable ties.

"He expressed a desire to take her home, put her in a wardrobe and engage in sexual activity."

The court heard Chapman was 'deeply lonely and looking for a friend' when he made contact with Lucy.

His six-year relationship had ended after he suffered a work accident and he was living alone, playing video games and searching social media.

Jason Dunn-Shaw, defending, described Chapman as having 'an extraordinary aberration'.

"How this then transposed itself to these feelings and this kind of behaviour and fascination, he can't explain," he told the court.

"They have now evaporated and he is more keen than anybody that these things don't occur again."

Chapman admitted two offences of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, one of attempting to meet a female under 16 following grooming, and one of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child.

He was sentenced to three years in prison today (August 15).

He must also sign on the sex offender register indefinitely on his release, and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.