Paedophile sent sexual images to 'girl'

A paedophile who struck up sexual conversations with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, has been jailed.

Shane Lander, 37, of Central Avenue, Peterborough, friend requested the “girl” on Facebook, but unbeknown to him, it was a decoy from an online child activist group.

In the messages, which started 18 June, 2023, Lander asked the girl if she was single, and she replied she was 14 and that she went to school.

Lander sent her a selfie of his face and asked for one in return, but he warned that due to her age, he had to “be careful”, so instructed her not to tell her mum.

Over the next couple of days, Lander continued to message, telling the girl he didn’t want to lose her, he would keep her safe and said the song Amazing, by Bruno Mars, was about her.

On 22 June, Lander told the girl he loved her, referred to her as “babe” and described himself as her boyfriend.

In further messages, he said if she had a party for her 15^th birthday, he could buy her a present and meet her mum.

Lander turned the conversation sexual and sent inappropriate pictures of himself and asked the girl to send similar pictures in return.

The girl told Lander she was going to Peterborough with her mum on 2 July, and he said he lived there.

He spoke about them meeting up and he would buy some condoms.

Lander told her she wouldn’t get in trouble if no one saw them and she didn’t tell anyone.

On that day, Lander said he would meet the girl, on her own, at a fast-food restaurant in the city centre and he sent her a selfie, so she knew what he was wearing.

However, after Lander arrived on the bus, he was confronted by the activist group who alerted the police, and he was arrested and his phone was seized.

Lander pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a girl under 16, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 in sexual activity and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity.

At Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (23 January), Lander was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, made subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for the same period.

DC Caroline Murphy said: “Lander made it extremely clear he believed the decoy was a young teenage girl and would even ask her about her school day.

“It quickly became apparent there was a clear intent to commit sexual offences and thankfully he was caught and is now behind bars.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to keep children safe, and protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities.”

Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk, can apply for disclosure information through Sarah’s Law.