TONY MORRISS (TONY LAMPPORT) SENTENCED IN BASINGSTOKE FOR ONLINE PREDATORY BEHAVIOR
A man who expressed intentions to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl in the woods has been sentenced to eight months in prison.Tony Morriss, 21, also known as Tony Lamport, was apprehended outside Basingstoke Hospital last month by the paedophile hunting group Safeguarding Kids Online.
The group caught him after he messaged one of their decoys, believing he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl.
Morriss was confronted after he indicated he would meet the decoy in the woods, where he planned to rape and sexually assault her.
The confrontation, which lasted over 30 minutes and was live streamed on Facebook, included Morriss admitting that he had messaged numerous young girls online—"loads of girls, young girls and asked them to meet me but I've never actually met them," he stated.
He attempted to downplay his actions by claiming the conversation was "a joke" and said, "I wouldn't have actually done anything." At Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday, Morriss was sentenced to eight months in prison for each charge, to run concurrently.
Additionally, he will be on the sex offenders register for ten years.
A spokesperson for Safeguarding Kids Online explained to the Gazette that their primary aim is to "protect children online from internet predators and existing sex offenders and paedophiles." They emphasized the importance of gathering "water-tight evidence" to secure convictions and revealed that they work closely with police across the UK, providing the necessary evidence and statements.
The spokesperson added, "We hope that the work we do as volunteers can ensure that children are safe from online sexual exploitation.
Our decoys work tirelessly to ensure that this is done in the correct and appropriate manner to gain convictions." The captured video of Morriss' confrontation has garnered significant attention, with currently 81,000 views, 909 shares, and nearly 3,000 comments.
The spokesperson concluded, "We will not stop until they stop preying on our children.
It only takes 20 minutes for a child to be groomed online, so please take 10 minutes a day and check your children's devices."
