DANIEL LEES OF SHROPSHIRE AVOIDS PRISON AFTER ONLINE PEDOPHILE HUNTERS INCIDENT IN MERSEYSIDE

In June 2019, Daniel Lees, a resident of Watergate Street, Ellesmere in Shropshire, was caught engaging in inappropriate online conversations with individuals he believed to be minors, and narrowly avoided a prison sentence.

Lees was identified and reported to the police by a paedophile hunting group called 'Predator Closure,' which operates by creating decoy profiles on social media platforms. These profiles, including one named 'Cara,' were used to attract potential offenders.

On May 30, 2019, Lees contacted the decoy profile and, upon learning she was 14, expressed continued interest, saying “it was still ok to chat,” and the conversation persisted the following day. During their exchange, Lees inquired if Cara liked older guys, complimented her pictures, and indicated he fancied her.

He requested a photograph, which she sent, depicting a 14-year-old girl. The conversation shifted to WhatsApp, where Lees sent a lewd photograph of himself that he subsequently deleted. He also asked her to send topless images of herself.

Police searched Lees's home, discovering on his devices chats with females claiming to be under 16. Additionally, a fourth charge concerned a 2015-2016 chat with someone posing as a 13-year-old girl in America.

Lees, who was unemployed at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, causing a child aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to make a minor view sexually explicit material.

The Liverpool Crown Court heard that Lees’s offending in 2019 coincided with a period of personal tragedy, heavy drinking, and low mood. Judge Neil Flewitt QC sentenced Lees on his 46th birthday, stating: “It’s not a good way to be passing it.” He added, “For a period of days in the spring of 2019 when you were at a low ebb as a result of tragedy in your personal life and other issues you were facing and when drinking heavily you committed three of the offences sent this court.”

During sentencing, the judge acknowledged Lees’s guilty plea, noting, “You had the good sense to admit your offending in interview. You pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.”

The sentence consisted of two years in prison, suspended for two years. In addition, Lees was ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work and participate in 30 days of rehabilitation activities. Furthermore, he was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.