Daniel Mark Cheeseman

A 26-year-old man from Kendal, Daniel Mark Cheeseman, has been sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court for attempting to make sexual online advances to what he believed was a 14-year-old boy, who was in fact a decoy operated by a vigilante group.

The offences occurred over a five-week period in 2023, during which Cheeseman engaged in regular contact with the decoy profile. He admitted to two charges: attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child by sending an explicit image. The court heard that Cheeseman was confronted by members of the vigilante group at his workplace in Kendal, where the encounter was live-streamed on Facebook before police were contacted.

Judge Peter Davies, after reviewing a background report and references, determined that Cheeseman would not receive the necessary professional help in prison. Instead, he imposed a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years. Cheeseman, who now resides near Harrogate, was ordered to complete an accredited sex offender treatment course, 100 hours of unpaid work, and a rehabilitation activity requirement. He must also sign the sex offenders' register and comply with the terms of a sexual harm prevention order, both for 10 years.

"This has got to stop. This is your opportunity to stop," Judge Davies told Cheeseman during the sentencing. The case was reported in The Westmorland Gazette on 18 September 2023, highlighting the role of the vigilante group in exposing the attempted online grooming.