DANIEL LAMB FROM CREDITON CAUGHT IN SHOCKING ONLINE SEX OFFENSES BY PAEDOPHILE HUNTERS

In December 2020, a disturbing case emerged involving Daniel Lamb, a farm worker from Crediton, who was found to have engaged in inappropriate and illegal online behavior targeting a minor. Lamb was deceived by a paedophile hunting group known as UK Justice, which had set up a fake profile to catch individuals attempting to exploit children on social media platforms.

Under the false identity of Dan Daz, Lamb believed he was communicating with a naive 13-year-old girl named Sacha on Facebook. In reality, he was messaging a decoy profile created by UK Justice, an organization dedicated to exposing online predators. During their conversations, Lamb instructed the girl on how to perform sexual acts and encouraged her to film herself doing so, instructing her to keep their exchanges secret and to send him the footage.

He also sent explicit images of himself and asked her to do the same, further demonstrating his intent to engage in sexual activity with a minor. Lamb's messages revealed a disturbing pattern of grooming behavior, which culminated in him attempting to arrange a physical meeting. Despite the girl’s explanations that her mother was monitoring her photos and that the room was too dark to take explicit pictures, Lamb persisted in his efforts.

Members of UK Justice confronted Lamb near the caravan where he was living at a farm in Crediton. The group then handed over the evidence of his online misconduct to the police. During the police search of his caravan, officers discovered ten cannabis plants, which Lamb claimed he was growing for personal use.

Daniel Lamb, aged 37 and residing at East Pidsley, Crediton, was charged with attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and the production of indecent images. At Exeter Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to these charges. Judge Peter Johnson sentenced Lamb to 23 months in prison, suspended for two years, recognizing the seriousness of his offenses.

In addition to his suspended sentence, Lamb was ordered to attend a sex offenders’ treatment program and participate in ten days of further rehabilitation activities. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order. This order grants authorities the authority to monitor his internet activity for the next ten years, aiming to prevent any future offenses.

The judge emphasized the gravity of Lamb’s actions, stating, “You came upon a young person on the internet who said she was 13 at a very early stage. You groomed her over a period of time.”

Prosecutor Mr. Brian Fitzherbert detailed the timeline of the case, revealing that the contact began in August 2019 via Facebook Lite, when the decoy profile was set up by UK Justice. Lamb responded positively to the girl’s claims of being 13, complimenting her and expressing sexual interest. After a brief break, Lamb resumed contact, claiming she was now 14, and continued to pursue sexual conversations, including requesting and sending explicit images. The conversation escalated to Lamb asking her to touch herself sexually and send photographs, with the intent of meeting in person, which he proposed in January of the following year.