British paralympic gold medalist Gareth Duke caught by predator hunters after asking 14-year-old ‘girl’ to strip for him

A British Paralympic gold medalist swimmer was busted in an online sting operation by predator hunters when he tried to meet with a 14-year-old “girl” and asked her to strip for him.

Gareth Duke, 39, was handed a six-month jail sentence — suspended for 18 months — ordered to complete a 30-day rehabilitation activity, and must register as a sex offender after he admitted to his crimes in Newport Crown Court last week, the Telegraph reported.

Duke, who won gold at the Athens 2004 Paralympics, believed he was messaging a 14-year-old girl between May 25 and June 2, but was instead messaging pedophile hunters from the online vigilante group Child Online Safety Team.

The team told the court that Duke arranged for the girl to travel 140 miles from Portsmouth to South Wales, for a “kiss and a cuddle” and asked the supposed minor to strip for her on camera.

He was also aware he was speaking with an underage girl, telling the decoy that “age was just a number.”

“He asked her for photographs in the bath and told her he would show her a good time,” prosecutor Ben Jones said in court.

While the Paralympian admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, his defense team argued for a lenient sentence since he was registered blind, required kidney dialysis three times a week, and had only 20% hearing in both ears.

“He has complex health needs and it is considered that he could be managed in the community,” his lawyer, Alice Sykes, said.

“The defendant has no previous convictions and he has co-operated with these proceedings. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in this case.”

Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant told the Paralympic-pedo that he had “no doubt” he was aware that he believed he was speaking with a 14-year-old. The legal age of consent in the UK is 16.

“You said that age was just a number. This was predatory offending and serious criminal behavior,” Porter-Bryant said.

However, the judge said Duke showed “remorse” for his actions and, given he had no previous convictions, suspended his six-month jail sentence.

Aside from having to pay restitution and registering as a sex offender, the former swimmer will be subject to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order, which will place restrictions on his online activities in an effort to reduce reoffending.

Duke is a three-time Paralympic medalist, winning gold in the 100m breaststroke at the Summer Paralympics in 2004, silver in 2008 in Beijing, and bronze in the 4×50 free relay that same year.

He was also the 2006 World Champion in the 100m breaststroke.

Duke was born with Alport’s syndrome, a rare inherited kidney disorder that can slowly cause kidney failure and sometimes leads to hearing and vision problems, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The condition that led him to undergo kidney transplants from his father in 2006 and his uncle in 2010.

When both transplants failed, he was ultimately pushed into retirement from swimming in 2011.