A paedophile teacher and ex-policeman from Anglesey has been jailed for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Barry Lander, 48, of Bron y Graig, Bodedern, engaged in explicit online conversations with what he believed to be a 12-year-old girl, but was in fact an undercover police officer. The case was heard at Caernarfon Crown Court on 5 March 2021.
The offending took place over a two-week period in October 2019. Lander joined a chat room and began messaging the account, which was operated by North Wales Police. Despite being informed of the girl's age, Lander sent sexual messages, including references to kissing her neck, touching her nipples, and moving his hands 'down'. The conversations culminated on 22 October 2019, when Lander suggested meeting up in Cardiff and asked what the girl would do if he touched her, to which the officer replied, 'Just lie there lol.' Lander responded, 'I hoped you would say you would open your legs lol.'
During the trial, Lander denied the charges, claiming he knew the account was a 'vigilante' and was merely 'stringing them along'. However, a jury convicted him of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. In his sentencing remarks, Judge David Hale rejected Lander's defence, stating, 'I don't believe for a minute you thought this was a vigilante. You didn't think about anything about this conversation with a young girl culminating in the possibility of going to meet in Cardiff where you knew you had to go as part of your employment in the November.'
Prosecutor Simon Mintz noted that Lander continued sending messages even after the officer stopped replying, and although Lander had plans to visit Cardiff in November 2019 for work, no meeting was arranged. The messages did not explicitly refer to sexual penetration. Defending barrister Matthew Dunford argued that Lander had already suffered significant consequences, including loss of his reputation and potentially his marriage, and emphasised that the recipient was an undercover officer, not a real child.
Judge Hale highlighted Lander's ease in steering the conversation towards sexual topics, saying, 'What you overlook, perhaps, is the ease with which you used phrases to steer the conversation towards a sexual matter. They are your phrases throughout.' Lander was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, with half to be served in custody before release on licence. Additionally, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order was imposed, and he was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years, barring him from working with children.
The case was reported by Wales Online, based on proceedings at Caernarfon Crown Court. North Wales Police conducted the investigation, leading to Lander's arrest and prosecution.