Mario Palumbo

Mario Palumbo, a 33-year-old fitness instructor from Bradford, West Yorkshire, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on 19 December 2024 for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. The case arose from his interactions in September 2024 with a fake Facebook profile created by the Child Safety Online Team, a paedophile hunter group, where the decoy posed as a 13-year-old girl.

Palumbo, residing on Smiddles Lane in Bradford, initiated contact with the profile and quickly escalated to sending sexualised messages. He described the decoy as 'absolutely adorable', 'sexy', and 'beautiful', and shared naked images of himself. During the conversations, he suggested the girl pretend to be his daughter or niece if they went shopping together and sent images of lacy underwear he thought she might like. At the time, Palumbo was on prison licence following a four-year sentence in 2020 at Sheffield Crown Court for making threats to kill, during which he had been assessed as a dangerous offender with an extended three-year licence period.

Members of the Child Safety Online Team traced Palumbo's address and confronted him at his home. Attempting to flee via the back door, he was apprehended and confessed in seven words: 'I know what I’ve done is wrong. Please don’t contact the police because I’m on licence.' The group alerted authorities, leading to his arrest. Notably, Palumbo had no prior convictions for sex offences but claimed to be 26 years old during the chats.

Appearing via video link, Palumbo pleaded guilty in October 2024 to two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Prosecutor David McGonigal outlined the explicit nature of the communications, emphasising Palumbo's belief that he was engaging with a real child for his sexual gratification. His barrister, John Bottomley, noted that Palumbo was tearful, ashamed, and recognised the seriousness of his actions.

Judge Sophie McKone described Palumbo as a 'dangerous' pervert with a demonstrated sexual interest in children. She stated: 'You were fully aware that you were dealing with a child, certainly in your mind.' The judge highlighted that although the child did not exist, Palumbo's intentions were clear and predatory.