A pervert Catholic priest thought he was meeting another paedophile to arrange the abuse of his 'two-year-old-son' - only to be taken down by an undercover cop.

Father Matthew Jolley was stung by the officer after he started talking to him on the dating app Grindr in September. The child didn't exist.

The cop created a fake profile, posing as a 36-year-old bisexual.

Less than 20 minutes later, he received a message from Jolley saying he was interested sexually in young children.

During their sordid conversations, Jolley, 32, told the officer that although he mainly liked girls, a 'cute' boy would also be of interest.

He told the cop what he wanted to do to his 'son', before sending an indecent photograph of himself.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Jolley, who was ordained in Warrington in 2015, started the conversations while based in Belgium.

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

He planned on returning to the UK for a fortnight before travelling to Rome in October to study.

Their conversations continued on Kik Messenger and later on Wickr - an encrypted platform for private chats - where Jolley talked about 'sharing' the child with his dad.

He then arranged to meet him at a house in Hale in Halton, Cheshire, on September 26.

When Jolley arrived, he told the officer what he wanted to do to the child, completely unaware he had been duped.

The officer then revealed his true identity and the priest tried to run.

"He attempted to resist and struggled to escape and the officer used appropriate force to take him to the ground and arrest him," Alaric Walmsley, prosecuting said.

Jolley, of Rhona Drive, Great Sankey, Warrington, who appeared via video link from prison, sat with his head bowed for much of the hearing on Friday.

He was jailed for three years and four months having earlier pleaded guilty to arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

Following sentencing, Det Con Louise Murphy, of Cheshire's On-line Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: "Jolley committed this terrible offence whilst holding a position of trust.

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"Through his online communications it was clear to see that he was sexually attracted to young children and would do whatever he could in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the undercover law enforcement officers who have been instrumental in building the case against Jolley.

"This case shows how well agencies can work together in order to protect the most vulnerable people in society. It also sends a clear message that anyone who commits such offences are not above the law and they will be brought to justice, regardless of who they are and what they do."

Jolley was ordered to sign the sex offender register for life.

The judge Recorder Jeremy Lasker told him: “It cannot be said it was an aberration, it was something you considered at length over a time. During that lengthy period it progressed so far as you believed almost to fruition.

"You are an ordained priest in the Catholic church.

"I do not impose a more severe sentence for that reason but it goes without saying, although I do say it, that your words and actions and intentions seem to me to be wholly inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic church and you have done nothing but a great disservice to the church.”