'Kidnap kit' with condoms, axe and balaclava found on groomer meeting 14-year-old girl

A sex offender has been jailed for more than four years after being caught with condoms, an axe and a balaclava when meeting a 14-year-old girl he had groomed on Facebook.

Patrick Brezovsky was also found with CS knockout spray and duct tape when he was stopped in Exeter, Devon, on 24 November last year.

At his hearing at Exeter Crown Court the 23-year-old admitted meeting a child after grooming her and five offences of possessing bladed articles or prohibited weapons.

It also emerged that he committed the above crimes whilst on bail after being caught with two 14-year-old girls in his car after he persuaded them to run away from home by offering them cannabis.

On this occasion he was also found with two flick knives he said he had brought back from his home country of Slovakia to handout as presents.

Brezovsky, a car park attendant, was intercepted before he met the 14-year-old girl at an Exeter bus station after she told him she was bullied, depressed and self-harming on Facebook and he sent her sexualised messages.

But the girl told a school friend what she was doing and the friend told her mother who contacted Devon and Cornwall Police.

Recorder Mr Ignatius Hughes, QC, said according to the Mirror: "If ever a case demonstrated clearly the danger of inviting intrusion into family life and children's lives by social media, this is it.

"The presence of the items in the car at the very least suggests some form of Walter Mitty fantasy although it is impossible to know precisely what you had in mind.

"You may have had them to impress others, but I do not find your explanations of why you had these items to be persuasive. I have no doubt you pose a serious and significant risk of causing serious harm to the public, and in particular to young women by further offending."

For the Crown, Miss Judith Cornwall said Brezovsky was arrested for the first set of offences on 20 June 2016 after the father of a 14-year-old girl alerted police she had left home without permission.

Cornwall said about the second offences: "He had two condoms, a CS canister in a sports bag, an axe under the mat behind the driver's seat.

"In the boot there was a balaclava, gloves, tape, a blue flashing light and a stab proof vest. These items are clearly a matter of concern given that he was meeting a young girl and it was clear from the messaging he was interested in sex.

"The girl made a victim impact statement saying she realised how fortunate she was that he was intercepted and cannot stop thinking about what could have happened to her."

Richard Franck, defending, said Brezovksy had "an innocent explanation" for all the items he had in his possession.

The Recorder jailed Brezovsky for four years and six months, ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register and made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will restrict his contact with children on his release.