ONE of a perverted throng of "predatory" men who groomed a teenage girl online for sex has today had his sentence cut by four months.
Phillip Andrew Scaife, 31, was one of ten men caged after they sexually exploited the 13-year-old North Yorkshire girl.
Scaife, of The Croft in Sherriff Hutton, near York, pressured the girl to send him sexually degrading videos of herself, Mr Justice Griffith Williams told London's Criminal Appeal Court today.
He told her he wanted to carry out obscene sex acts on her, but the teenager severed contact with him before they could finally meet.
Scaife was jailed for two years and eight months at York Crown Court after admitting charges of possessing indecent images, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging the commission of a sexual offence in May.
However, his legal team argued there was an "unfair disparity" between his punishment and that handed to a co-accused who was given a 15-month term after admitting 10 sexual offences.
Mr Justice Griffith Williams, sitting with Lord Justice Fulford and Judge Anthony Leonard QC, said Scaife had "knowingly communicated" with the 13-year-old, and "took advantage of her compliance" to obtain twisted photos from her.
"It is also necessary to bear in mind his determined efforts to arrange a meeting, which fortunately came to nothing," he added.
But the judge agreed with the disparity argument and cut Scaife's sentence to two years and four months.
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