ROSSENDALE MAN CAUGHT IN CHILD DECOY STING SENTENCED FOR ONLINE GROOMING
A man from Rossendale named Stefan Warburton, aged 31, appeared at Burnley Crown Court after police attended his home address two years ago.The incident involved Warburton communicating with who he believed was a 12-year-old boy, telling him he would "look fit in his school uniform".
The police officer involved in the investigation received a friend request from a decoy profile of a 12-year-old boy from West Yorkshire Police.
The officer discovered Warburton's Facebook profile associated with a UK gay group.
A conversation ensued, with the decoy revealing his age of 12.
On October 12, Warburton told the decoy, "I bet you look fit in your school uniform," and then sent topless pictures of himself along with a request to see the boy in the shower.
Police later visited Warburton's home in Rossendale, where they seized his Samsung mobile phone, which was found to contain indecent images of children received from someone on Snapchat.
Warburton, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent photographs of a child and one count of attempting to engage in indecent communication with a child.
He was sentenced to 12 months in custody, suspended for two years.
The judge noted Warburton's cooperation and early guilty plea, and his admission of having an attraction to children as mitigating factors, along with his current living arrangements caring for his grandparents after his grandad's stroke.
The court acknowledged he knew he had a problem and was seeking help, emphasizing that the offense involved a person he believed was a 12-year-old, and that he expressed a desire to see the decoy in a school uniform and inappropriately engage physically.
