Penrith child sex offender jailed for two years six months after appeal

Thompson was arrested in May when he travelled to Derby to meet a 13-year-old girl

A man handed a suspended prison sentence for child sex offences has been jailed after his original sentence was judged to be too lenient.

Thomas Thompson, of Penrith, Cumbria, arranged to meet a 13-year-old girl in May after grooming her in a chat room.

The 58-year-old was also found to have 30 indecent images of children.

The Attorney General appealed against Thompson's suspended sentence at the Court of Appeal and he was jailed for two years and six months.

Thompson had been given a two-year sentence suspended for two years when he appeared at Carlisle Crown Court in July.

The court heard he had arranged to meet the girl with the intention of sexually abusing her and was arrested in Derby.

Detectives later discovered the images of children on his laptop.

Thompson had pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a girl aged 13 following grooming, attempting to arrange/facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and two counts of making indecent images of a child.

Det Sgt Tracey Nimmo, of Cumbria Constabulary's cyber and digital crime unit, said: "We are pleased at the court's decision to review this case and increase Thompson's sentence.

"We are committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and online child sexual exploitation."