Man caught in child sex sting sentenced

David Cameron was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court

A man who asked what he thought was a 14-year-old girl for naked pictures online has been sentenced.

David Cameron, 43, was caught by a decoy account run by paedophile hunters, Teesside Crown Court heard.

He told the girl he was "looking for friendship and a little bit of fun" and would stop messaging her if she did not send him any nude images, prosecutors said.

Cameron, of Chalk Walk in Stockton, Teesside, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and was jailed for 10 months suspended for two years, with 180 hours unpaid work.

Cameron first messaged the decoy account on a dating app on 12 November 2023 with the words "hey beautiful", prosecutor Victoria Lamballe said.

They exchanged messages over several days before the girl told him she was 14, the court heard.

He replied that he thought she was older and when asked if her age was a problem, Cameron said "it could be with the work I do", Ms Lamballe said.

Nevertheless, he said he was "looking for friendship and maybe a little fun" and when the decoy sent him non-sexual images of herself Cameron said she was "cute" and had an "amazing" body, adding: "I guess you don't do anything naughty."

'Fully intended' child abuse

On 23 November he asked for pictures of her naked body and sent her images of himself in the bath telling her he would perform a sex act, the court heard.

He asked for more pictures the following day but when the girl changed the subject, Cameron said "it might be best" if they stopped talking and he would "move on", the court heard.

He was arrested on 14 December but the chat had been deleted from his phone, Ms Lamballe said.

In mitigation, the court heard Cameron was of previous good character and his offending had had a "huge impact" on his life, including the loss of his job.

Judge Timothy Stead said Cameron had "fully intended" to get sexual images of a 14-year-old girl and "believed at all times" that he was communicating with a child.

But he said Cameron had expressed "sincere" remorse and was unlikely to be in court again, adding he was "quite capable of reform and rehabilitation".

Cameron was also made subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders' register for a decade.