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A gold medal-winning Paralympic swimmer has avoided jail after being caught by paedophile hunters in a sting.

Gareth Duke was handed a six-month jail sentence by Newport Crown Court last week, which has been suspended for 18 months.

He also must register as a sex offender and was made the subject of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.

Duke, who has achondroplasia, a genetic disorder which is the most common cause of short-limbed dwarfism, won gold at the Athens 2004 Paralympics and silver at Beijing 2008 before retiring in 2011 after a second kidney transplant stopped working.

The retired swimmer had thought he was messaging a 14-year-old girl called Mia.

He had been unaware he had been instead messaging paedophile hunters the Child Online Safety Team, who passed their findings onto police, leading to his arrest.

"TW : Rape, Self harm, Pedophilia. I was groomed by twitch streamer @Fraanticc online who sexually exploited me, forced me into sending photos, pushed me toward self-harm while i was 16. I feel sick knowing I was manipulated like this, but I’m sharing it to raise awareness."

The man who appeared to be the front-runner to lead Guernsey's most senior political committee a few months ago, has admitted a string of offences involving indecent images of children.

Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq pleaded guilty on Thursday to the creation of thousands of illegal images, and possessing extreme pornography.

The NSPCC said his crimes helped "fuel a horrific industry, which can be devastating for victims, with further trauma caused by the knowledge that images have been shared online."

After his sentencing in January it is likely the former chief minister who has represented the island in Westminster and further afield, will be removed from the States, where he is a serving member.

Commenting on Edwards’ new Facebook pals, Marilyn Hawes, CEO of Freedom from Abuse, said: “These people should be ashamed of themselves.

“He’s sitting there smirking thinking he’s won. He’s shameless.”

Joel Schoepf, a country music veteran out of Texas, has lost his job working for a star singer and is facing some disturbing charges after an interaction with a popular child predator group.

According to multiple reports, Schoepf was taken into custody in New Braunfels, Texas on Nov. 13, and was charged with a second-degree felony of online solicitation of a minor under the age of 14.

Florida Republican Governor candidate James Fishback – credited with coming up with “DOGE dividends” – is facing allegations about an abusive relationship that began when his partner was a high schooler.

The Petitioner, Keniah Fort, filed an Injunction for Protection Against Stalking against Fishback earlier this year, detailing what sounds like an inappropriate and abusive relationship.

Ohio Democrat Gerald Dixon was sworn into office for a second term on the Whitehall City Council on Tuesday, just hours after he was released from custody on his own recognizance following his arrest on child sex abuse charges. Dixon denies the charges.

The 64-year-old Dixon, who said this year he has been a Democrat since 1980, overwhelmingly won a second term to the nonpartisan Whitehall City Council Ward 1 seat in November with nearly 70 percent of the vote. Whitehall is a suburb of Columbus.