Paulsgrove man pleads guilty to two child sex offences after appearing in Portsmouth Magistrates Court
By Sophie Lewis
Published 2nd Oct 2025, 12:57 BST
Updated 2nd Oct 2025, 13:40 BST
A man, who inappropriately communicated with a child online, has pleaded guilty to two sex offences in court.
Richard Ashby, of Cheltenham Road, appeared in Portsmouth Magistrates Court today (October 2) after attempting to meet a child he was allegedly grooming.
The police received reports just after 10.30am on Wednesday, October 1, that Ashby was trying to meet a person he believed was a child at Cosham train station, after inappropriately communicating with them online.
As a result, officers arrested the 51-year-old and he was charged with attempting to meet a girl under 16 years of age following grooming and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
During his court appearance, Ashby pleaded guilty to both offences, where he has been further remanded in custody, before appearing again for sentencing on October 31.