A ‘VILE’ man who thought he was messaging the mother of young children to meet and sexually abuse them has been jailed for 14 years.
Lee Haughton, 46, formerly of South Hiendley, was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court on February 11.
Haughton used the internet to target his victims, and thought he was swapping ‘disgusting’ messages with the mother of young kids.
However, he was getting caught in a police sting to trap online sex offenders.
Detective Sergeant Dave Devey, from the police’s crime services department, said: “Haughton is a depraved sex offender who appeared to be obsessed with the idea of abusing young children for his sexual pleasure.
“I am pleased he is now behind bars where he belongs.
“This significant sentence should also serve as a warning to other sick individuals who think they can hide in the shadows online. “We are determined to make the internet a safer place for children in our communities - and we are proactively pursuing online offenders like Haughton every single day.
“We will find you, and you will face the consequences of your sickening actions.”
He was arrested on June 30 and found with a bag of sex toys which he had planned to use on his victims.
Following an investigation from the South Yorkshire Police and the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, he admitted to one count of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence, three counts of making indecent or pseudo-photographs of a child and one count of possession of prohibited images of children.
He received a 14 year jail sentence and must also sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
DCI Andy Howard added: “I am pleased with the significant prison sentence handed by the court to such a dangerous offender.
“We will continue to identify and pursue those that use the internet to prey on the vulnerable within the communities of the Yorkshire and Humber region and across the country.”
