Former music teacher attempted to groom undercover police posing online as girls under 16.

Former Music Teacher Jailed for Attempted Grooming of Undercover Police

Christopher Perry, 30, has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for attempting to groom undercover police officers posing as underage girls online.

Perry, of Lancaster Drive, Paignton, admitted to two counts of attempting to incite a child to sexual activity and two of attempted sexual communication with a child. He sent explicit messages to decoy accounts set up by the North West Regional Crime Unit and West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit, targeting profiles that appeared to belong to girls aged 11 and 12.

Perry was arrested at Gatwick Airport in June 2019, as he was preparing to travel to a summer camp in Philadelphia. Authorities became concerned about his potential contact with children and apprehended him.

Judge Peter Johnson, presiding over the case at Exeter Crown Court, also imposed a lifetime placement on the sex offenders register and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, allowing police to monitor Perry's online activity.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Johnson stated, "It is clear you were doing it for your own sexual gratification, which you described in graphic detail. The harm you intended to cause is evident. The danger of online or remote abuse lies in the potential for the abuser to disregard the psychological impact on their victims. It is impossible to discern visual cues, and there is a risk of causing immeasurable harm through the premature sexualization of children."