A man from Barrow has been jailed for attempting to sexually communicate with who he believed to be two 13-year-old children, online.
Steven Hodgson, 61, of Barrow, was sentenced yesterday (18 July) at Preston Crown Court to 42 months for two counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and two counts of attempting to incite a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
The offences were committed between 27 December 2022 and 1 January 2023.
On 2 January 2023, police were contacted by a member of an online child sexual abuse activist group who stated the had complied information in relation to Hodgson sexually communicating with what he thought to be a 13-year-old girl online.
Despite the ‘child’ telling Hodgson she was 13, he proceeded to strike up conversations of a sexual nature.
This information, alongside police enquiries led to the arrest of Hodgson at his home address.
Following this, a separate online child sexual abuse activist group provided police with information relating to Hodgson sexually communicating with what he believed to be another 13-year old-girl online.
Hodgson pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing.
A police spokesperson said: “Steven Hodgson engaged in sexual online conversations with two people he believed to be 13-year-old girls.
“Hodson is clearly a risk to children and his use of the internet to engage in sexually explicit conversations was appalling.
“Fortunately, there were no actual girls involved, however that doesn’t reduce the seriousness of his offending.
“Protecting young people from harm and ensuring children are safe online from predators is one of our top priorities and we will do everything in our power to ensure those who commit offences are brought before the courts.”