A sex offender who thought he was talking to a teenage boy asked him to bring his school shoes with him to a meet 'to engage in sexual abuse', a court was told. But Peter Cumberland, 31, was actually chatting to a 'paedophile hunter' posing as a schoolboy - and has now been jailed.
Cumberland sent explicit messages and a photo to the decoy, who was pretending to be a teenage boy on Facebook in July 2021. During the messages, said he would 'make [the boy] a man' when they met at Blackburn railway station, a judge was told.
He also said he would kiss the boy's feet and use his shoes for sexual purposes, Preston Crown Court heard.
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Cumberland, of Bonsall Street, Blackburn, has now been jailed for 28 months. "Your intention was to engage in sexual abuse," the judge told him.
Lisa Worsley, prosecuting, said the sting was set up by a member of the paedophile hunters group TFN (Travelling From Nottingham), reports Lancs Live. Posing as a 14-year-old boy called Adam, the decoy made references to being at school and living with his parents.
When Cumberland gave explicit details of what he planned to do with the boy when they met, the decoy said he was nervous as he 'hadn't done anything before', the court heard. Cumberland reassured him he would 'take it slowly', prosecutor Ms Worsley said.
However when the defendant arrived at Blackburn station on July 25 he was met by an adult man, who recognised him from photos he had sent. The man asked about Cumberland's online activity and called the police. Cumberland admitted he had been speaking to a child online and was taken to Blackburn Police Station for questioning. When officers searched his home they seized electronic equipment, including a mobile phone, which contained the messages shared with the decoy.
Clare Thomas, defending him, said Cumberland has learning difficulties and would find prison particularly hard to bear, as he would be vulnerable to bullying and exploitation.
"He is a young man who is extremely socially isolated and has been throughout his life", she said. Cumberland pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to cause a child to view an image of sexual activity.
Recorder Daniel Prowse, sentencing, said: "You engaged in conversations online with someone who at all material times you believed was a 14-year-old boy. In fact you were communicating with an adult decoy.
"You asked the decoy to go to your address, gave details and sent pictures of your address. You used highly sexualised language and sent sexual images of yourself. You arranged to meet him at Blackburn station and continued messaging on the day of the meeting. Your intention was to engage in sexual abuse."
The judge said he had considered psychiatric and speech and language reports which set out the nature of Cumberland's learning difficulties. He said the defendant's condition played a role in the offending, but added: "You knew right from wrong. You knew what you were doing, having the conversations you did, sending sexual images as you did and planning sexual activity, was wrong and unlawful."
