A CHILDREN'S charity has described the intentions of a Poole paedophile as "harrowing" after he was jailed for five years.

The NSPCC said the crime committed by Nigel Peter Grigg was another example of offenders using social media to abuse children.

The national organisation is calling for Government intervention to ensure platforms do all they can to prevent such activity.

As reported, Grigg, 69 and of Croft Road, Poole, communicated on messaging platform Kik with a man who told the paedophile that he was willing to provide his ‘daughter’ for sexual activities.

This man was in fact an undercover police officer, with the girl being fictional.

Grigg arranged to meet the father and daughter with the intention of committing child sex offences.

A hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court was told that Grigg used the display name Randy Peter on Kik and "boasted" on the platform that he had "done a 13[-year-old] in Thailand".

He admitted a single charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence between March 4 and March 12 last year.

Judge Robert Pawson jailed the defendant and issued him with a two-year extended licence period at Bournemouth Crown Court after he was deemed to be a dangerous offender.

A spokesperson for the NSPCC said: “Fortunately the victim in this case was fictional but it’s harrowing to think about Grigg’s intentions, which revealed he was a danger to children.

“This case is just another example of offenders using social media as a vehicle to abuse children.

"It’s vital the Government brings forward a comprehensive Online Safety Bill that ensures platforms do everything they can to prevent offenders using their sites to target, groom or abuse children.”

Grigg ended up in court after work by the police South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, who were investigating paedophile activity on Kik, and Dorset Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

Children and young people can speak with a Childline counsellor confidentially via childline.org.uk or 0800 1111.

Any adults concerned about a child’s wellbeing can contact the NSPCC helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or on 0808 800 5000.