Attempting to incite child to engage in sex.

Man Sentenced for Online Sexual Grooming of Underage Girl

A Durham Crown Court heard that Lucien Cooper, 33, engaged in sexually suggestive online conversations with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, but was in reality an undercover police officer.

The interaction began on February 9, 2022, on the Kik messaging app, then moved to Skype. Cooper, despite being aware of the girl's claimed age, became increasingly suggestive over a 20-day period. He requested pictures, made explicit suggestions about kissing and touching, and even described wanting to treat her "like a dog."

The communication ended when Cooper inquired about pornography. Upon learning of the investigation, Cooper admitted to his actions to police and was subsequently arrested. Police found indecent and prohibited images of children on his phone, which he had hidden under his mattress.

Cooper pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of children, and one count of possessing prohibited images of children.

The judge, James Adkin, described Cooper's behavior as "grooming" and stated that the images found on his phone were "utterly repellent." He imposed a 25-month prison sentence, a ten-year registration as a sex offender, and a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.