EPSOM TEACHER DANIEL DULAKE ESCAPES JAIL AFTER TRYING TO LURE 14-YEAR-OLD BOY ON GRINDR

In a case that has shocked the community of Epsom, Surrey, a 23-year-old man named Daniel Dulake, who was training to become a primary school teacher, narrowly avoided imprisonment after attempting to engage in sexual activity with a 14-year-old boy he met through the popular dating app Grindr.

According to court proceedings, Dulake made efforts to persuade the young teenager to participate in sexual acts during a conversation that took place last year. The incident came to light after police investigations revealed that Dulake’s phone contained child abuse images, which were brought to their attention by another Grindr user who flagged the material as 'vile'.

Initially, police arrested Dulake in February and seized his mobile device. During the investigation, Dulake served as a prosecution witness against the other individual involved in sharing the abusive images. However, subsequent examination of his smartphone led to charges against him for attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Despite denying the charges, claiming he was merely collecting information about sexual predators for law enforcement purposes, Dulake was convicted last month after a jury at the Old Bailey rejected his defense, describing it as 'unconvincing'.

Today, Judge Nicholas Cooke, QC, delivered a sentence that reflected a degree of leniency, stating he was giving Dulake 'a chance to salvage things from the wreckage'. Dulake was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. The judge expressed his belief that Dulake’s intentions were focused on engaging in anal sex with a young partner, and that he had been tempted but fortunately, no actual meeting or act took place.

In his remarks, Judge Cooke acknowledged the complex issues surrounding sexuality and the dangers posed by the internet. He emphasized that the morals of platforms like Grindr are not his concern but warned about the risks associated with online interactions, where the other party’s identity is often unknown.

He described the internet as a 'horrible, horrible world' and stated that Dulake’s actions had 'destroyed his life and caused significant pain to his parents'. The judge also noted that if Dulake had acted on his impulses, he could have faced many years in prison, highlighting the severity of such offenses.

As part of his sentence, Dulake was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with boys under the age of 16 for a period of ten years. Additionally, he is required to participate in rehabilitation activities for 30 days.

Records indicate that Dulake was working as a trainee primary school teacher from August of the previous year until January, according to his Facebook profile, raising concerns about the potential risks posed by individuals in educational training roles.