A SEX offender chatting to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, told the decoy 'age is just a number' as he pestered her for sex.

Matthew Sherwood's sentence was adjourned at Worcester Crown Court today after he said he was signed off work with a raft of mental health issues including psychosis and schizophrenia.

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However, because the court needs medical evidence for these claims before they are accepted and considered, the case had to be adjourned for six weeks for the defence to speak to the sex offender's doctor.

Sherwood, 37, of Mandalay Drive, Norton, Worcester had already admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity as well as having indecent images of children.

At a hearing at Worcester Magistrates Court on January 27, Sherwood had pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between January 31, 2020 and February 8, 2020. He further admitted attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity between January 31, 2020 and February 8, 2020.

The defendant was also told to sign the sex offender register at that hearing which means he must notify police of any change of address for example.

'Attempts' mean the defendant was communicating with a 'decoy' using fake profiles, rather than an actual child. Sherwood further admitted making indecent photos of a child between April 12, 2020 and June 6, 2020. He had three category C images, the least serious category within the guidelines.

The case was opened by David Jackson, prosecuting, who said Sherwood was caught by a group called 'No More Secrets', an online child protection unit using the profile of a fictional 14-year-old girl.

Sherwood made contact with the profile, asking 'how are you?' The decoy said: "I'm 14. Is that okay?"

The defendant replied that this was 'fine'. He later asked 'did you like big guys?' before sending an indecent photo of himself. When the decoy asked why he would send such an image to a 14-year-old he replied she was on a dating site for 18-year-olds and asked her to send him 'a sexy pic'. He asked her to send photos of her breasts and claimed he was from York.

"He told her she was beautiful and age is just a number" said Mr Jackson. Sherwood, who went under the name of Jay Jones, asked her 'if she would let him have sex with her'.

When she said she was 'shy', the defendant said he could 'help her with that' and made a reference to sausages.

Sherwood also asked for photos of her in her school uniform. Mr Jackson added: "He told her not to be scared and she would enjoy it."

When a picture was sent to him of a girl in a school uniform 'he told her she was beautiful'. Sherwood also asked if she had any friends who would like to have sex with him.

Further contact was made with the defendant by the group to establish his true identity (as he was not using his real name) and he supplied his telephone number over Whatsapp.

Police visited Sherwood's home on June 5 last year when indecent images were found on his laptop. Of the communication with the decoy, Sherwood told officers in interview he thought it was 'an adult acting out a fantasy, pretending to be a 14-year-old'.

"He said the messaging was pure fantasy" Mr Jackson told the court.

Belinda Ariss, defending, said: "He has now been signed off work with schizophrenia, psychosis and bipolar disorder. I don't have any evidence of that, only what he tells me this morning."

Judge Martin Jackson said the case showed evidence of 'grooming behaviour'.

Mrs Ariss adjourned the case for evidence of any illness to be obtained. The case will next be heard on Wednesday, April 13.

In the meantime Sherwood was granted unconditional bail. A draft sexual harm prevention order will also be considered at the next hearing.