Predatory paedophile, 55, blamed his teenage victims for being on Grindr

A paedophile blamed his teenage victims for being on Grindr after being caught trying to meet up with a '14-year-old boy' for sex.

Marc Harmer, 55, was caught by a paedophile hunter group after arranging to meet with someone who he thought was a teenager in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. 

Police were called and officers cracked the PIN code to his mobile phone after he had refused to reveal it.

Harmer, from Stalybridge, Tameside, also bragged about having sex with a teenage boy - a claim he later denied, with his barrister dismissing it as 'perverse bravado'. 

He has now been jailed for five years after analysis of his phone revealed he had chatted on Grindr with two real teenage boys. 

Harmer's barrister Tony Williams said his best mitigation was his guilty plea to all 24 offences.

Mr Williams said Harmer had claimed he had not actually had sex with a teenage boy and described it as 'perverse bravado'.

He said the judge could 'take some solace' in the fact Harmer did not meet any real children.

Harmer has shown 'some insight' into his behaviour, Mr Williams said.

But the judge replied: 'It's difficult, because he goes on to actually blame them for going on Grindr.'

In one chat, Harmer said he didn't consider himself a paedophile because he 'only does what the teenagers consent to' and 'doesn't harm them in any way'. 

He also messaged 16 profiles on the app, with users telling Harmer that they were aged from 11 to 15.

Police weren't able to trace those using those profiles, so weren't able to prove they were actually children.

But two of them were 'decoy' accounts being operated by a paedophile hunter group, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Harmer arranged to meet with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy at a petrol station on August 8, 2019.

In chats on Grindr, the 'boy' had told him that he was being thrown out of his home after telling his parents that he was bisexual.