Jonathan Quinnell, 62, was living in Orpington when in December 2023 he sent sexual messages to an account he believed to be a child.
He suggested meeting up and spoke about sexually assaulting and raping her.
But the account Quinnell was talking with was actually a decoy account run by paedophile hunters, who confronted him on December 20, 2023.
Quinnell, now living near Reading, appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Monday, January 5.
At a previous court hearing he pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a girl under 16 years of age following grooming and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Quinnell describes himself on LinkedIn as a psychic, hypnotherapist, life coach, healer and published author.
He attended court without legal representation, telling Judge Anthony Dunne OBE that he had “put off” hiring a lawyer because of the anxiety and stress it had been causing him.
Judge Dunne decided to adjourn the sentencing hearing until February, warning Quinnell that what he should feel anxiety about is turning up to court again without a lawyer.
“This is a very serious matter that’s before me today. You’re convicted of two very serious offences where the likely consequence is a custodial sentence,” Judge Dunne said.
“There will be the issue of whether I can suspend the sentence so it isn’t served immediately, but there’s a chance that isn’t the case. You are in a position of some jeopardy.”
Quinnell will have four weeks to find legal representation.
