Fitness instructor Mario Palumbo is back behind bars
DEC 2024
A “dangerous” child pervert was tracked down to his home in Bradford by a paedophile hunter group after having sexually explosive chats with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl.
Fitness instructor Mario Palumbo, of Smiddles Lane, was intrigued by a fake Facebook profile of a teenage girl, that a member of the Child Safety Online Team had set up and began messaging the account in September. Palumbo began to send sexualised messages to the decoy along with naked images of himself and described her as “absolutely adorable”.
Bradford Crown Court heard on Thursday (December 19) that at the time the 33-year-old was still on prison licence after being jailed for four years at Sheffield Crown Court in 2020 for a serious offence of making threats to kill. Palumbo had also been given an extended licence period of three years in 2020 having been assessed as a dangerous offender.
Judge Sophie McKone was told that Palumbo, who had no previous convictions for sex offences, claimed he was just 26 during his sexualised chat with the decoy and he suggested the girl would have to pretend to be his daughter or niece if they went out shopping together.
Prosecutor David McGonigal said the defendant called the decoy “sexy” and “beautiful” and sent her images of lacy underwear she might want to wear. Mr McGonigal said members of the group were able to locate Palumbo’s address in Bradford and when they went to his home he tried to escape via the back door.
When he was apprehended, Palumbo told them: “I know what I’ve done is wrong. Please don’t contact the police because I’m on licence.” Palumbo, who appeared in court via a video link, pleaded guilty in October to two offences relating to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
His barrister John Bottomley told the court that his tearful client was upset and ashamed of his actions and recognised that he had committed a serious offence.
Judge McKone jailed Palumbo for 40 months and also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order to restrict his future contact with under 16s and his use of the internet. He will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
The judge said Palumbo had hoped or believed he was contacting a 13-year-old girl and his actions demonstrated that he had a sexual interest in children.
“You were full aware that you were dealing with a child, certainly in your mind,” she told Palumbo. Judge McKone said the child did not exist but Palumbo believed that she did and in his mind he was contacting her in a sexually graphic way to satisfy his own sexual gratification.
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/dangerous-perverts-seven-word-confession-30628251