DARREN SANBY LINCOLN PAEDOPHILE SENTENCED FOR ONLINE GROOMING AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
In March 2021, a man from Lincoln named Darren Sanby was sentenced to over four years in prison after being convicted of serious crimes involving the grooming and exploitation of young boys through online platforms.Sanby, aged 26 and residing on Cannon Street in Lincoln, faced a series of charges at Lincoln Crown Court on March 11.
The allegations stemmed from his interactions with two boys aged 11 and 13, whom he contacted via online gaming platforms.
The police had arrested Sanby in July 2020 following his inappropriate conversations with the 11-year-old boy, during which he spoke in a sexual manner.
During a police interview, Sanby admitted to engaging in similar conduct with the 13-year-old boy.
Sanby explained to officers that he had initiated contact with the boys through online gaming, which is a common avenue for predators to target vulnerable children.
Since his arrest, he has been held in custody and subsequently charged with multiple offenses, including engaging in sexual communication with a minor, encouraging a child to participate in sexual activities, and creating indecent images of a child.
Additionally, Sanby was found to have breached a sexual harm prevention order on two separate occasions, leading to his current status under an indefinite order.
His sentencing resulted in a total prison term of four years and four months.
This is not his first conviction related to child exploitation.
In 2016, Sanby, then aged 21, was sentenced to 40 months in prison after he used a fake female profile on Facebook to befriend adolescent boys in Lincoln.
Under the guise of a girl, he sent explicit videos and images to the boys, encouraging them to send nude pictures of themselves.
Police investigations uncovered that Sanby possessed a staggering 5,640 indecent images of children, of which he distributed 40 to other online offenders.
Back in June 2016, Sanby’s predatory behavior was further exposed when he posed as a girl on Facebook to lure teenage boys, some as young as 11, from a Lincoln school.
He befriended these boys and sent them sexually explicit content, all while pretending to be a girl.
Sanby pleaded guilty to 17 charges at Lincoln Crown Court, including making a child view images of sexual activity, inciting sexual exploitation, and producing and distributing indecent photographs.
Despite his guilty plea, he denied two additional charges related to inciting sexual exploitation and encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity.
Prior to his arrest, authorities issued warnings to parents of students at the Priory Witham Academy, urging them to monitor their children’s Facebook accounts.
Police also reached out to parents, asking them to be vigilant for any suspicious online activity, especially if their children had been befriended by profiles under the name Katie Johnstion, which Sanby used to deceive young users.
The police did not disclose the full extent of the contact but described it as “inappropriate.” As part of his sentencing, Sanby was ordered to serve 40 months in prison, and the court mandated that he be placed on the sex offenders register for life.
A lifetime sexual harm prevention order was also imposed to restrict his future online activities and interactions with minors, reflecting the severity of his offenses and the ongoing risk he poses to children in Lincoln and beyond.
