Ex-Afghanistan Vet Caught in Online Child Exploitation Sting

EX-AFGHANISTAN VET CAUGHT IN ONLINE CHILD EXPLOITATION STING

A war veteran named Lee Harvey, aged 32, who had lost part of his leg in Afghanistan, was apprehended by online paedophile hunters after attempting to persuade fake teenage girls to have sex with him.

Harvey, living in Bolton at the time, confessed to ten offenses, including attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch sexual images, and possessing indecent photographs of children.

The prosecution revealed that a member of the 'North East Protectors' group posed as a 14-year-old girl named 'Isabella Cook' and engaged with Harvey in a chat, during which he asked for photos and sent a naked torso picture.

The conversation escalated to sexual content, with Harvey requesting inappropriate images and claiming he could make her dreams come true.

Harvey even sent images of his genitals via WhatsApp, and created a group called 'Naughty Little Girls' containing 50 underage girls.

He also said he would drive from Bolton to Newcastle to meet her and stay for two days, claiming he would tell her parents he was with a friend.

After three weeks of communication, the decoy reported his behaviour to police, leading to Harvey's arrest on March 23, 2018.

During police interviews, Harvey admitted to sending the messages and images but claimed he had no intention of meeting.

Harvey has prior convictions for affray and drink-driving but no record of sexual crimes.

The court sentenced him to 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and he was given a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and required to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.

The judge, Timothy Stead, acknowledged Harvey's difficult personal history, including injuries from Afghanistan and struggles with PTSD, which contributed to his offending.