Man who asked girl aged 13 for sex online spared jail, despite judge admitting he 'richly deserved' it

A sexual predator in Wales who was caught out asking a 13-year-old girl for sex by a member of the public who ran his own sting operation has been spared prison.

Bernard Merrells, 52, sent explicit messages including nude pictures and video, to what he believed was a young girl, Swansea Crown Court heard.