A convicted Derbyshire sex offender has been jailed for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child online.

Daniel Stout, 28, of Fairfield Road, Buxton, believed he was messaging a 14-year-old girl on an online chat app. He sent her naked photos and requested explicit images in return. However, the "girl" was actually a decoy from an online child abuse activist group.

Stout had arranged to meet the decoy in person in Buxton when he was arrested. This offense occurred while he was under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that prohibited him from contacting any girl under 16 due to a previous conviction for a similar offense.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching his SHPO. At Derby Crown Court on October 22, Stout was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

PC Jodie Norris, who led the investigation, stated, "The fact that Stout committed this offense while under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order shows what a dangerous predator he is with no regard for the law. Thankfully, in this case, the 'girl' he was messaging was an adult, preventing any harm to a child. We hope this imprisonment will allow him time for reflection and help him understand the severity of his actions."