Shane Lander

Shane Lander, a 37-year-old man from Central Avenue in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was jailed for attempting to groom and sexually exploit what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl online. The interactions began on 18 June 2023, when Lander sent a friend request on Facebook to the profile, unaware that it was operated by members of an online child activist group as a decoy to catch potential predators.

In the initial messages, Lander inquired if the 'girl' was single, and upon learning she was 14 and still attending school, he proceeded to send a selfie of himself and requested one in return. He cautioned her about her age, advising her not to tell her mother, while expressing a desire to keep her safe and not lose contact. Over the following days, Lander's messages escalated in intimacy; he declared his love for her, called her 'babe', and positioned himself as her boyfriend. He even suggested buying her a present for her 15th birthday party and meeting her mother.

• On 22 June 2023, Lander turned the conversation explicitly sexual, sending inappropriate pictures of himself and urging the 'girl' to reciprocate.
• He discussed potential meetings, mentioning he lived in Peterborough and offering to buy condoms for their encounter.
• Lander reassured her that she would not get into trouble as long as no one found out, and planned to meet her alone at a fast-food restaurant in the city centre on 2 July 2023.

On the arranged date, Lander arrived by bus, dressed as described in a selfie he had sent. However, he was confronted by the activist group, who promptly alerted Cambridgeshire Constabulary. Officers arrested him on the spot and seized his phone for forensic examination. The evidence from the device corroborated the grooming attempts.

Lander pleaded guilty to several charges at Peterborough Crown Court: attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to view an image of sexual activity. On 23 January 2024, he was sentenced to two years and three months' imprisonment. Additionally, he was made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for the same duration.

Detective Constable Caroline Murphy of Cambridgeshire Constabulary commented on the case: 'Lander made it extremely clear he believed the decoy was a young teenage girl and would even ask her about her school day. It quickly became apparent there was a clear intent to commit sexual offences and thankfully he was caught and is now behind bars. We will continue to work tirelessly to keep children safe, and protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities.' The case underscores the role of activist groups in supporting law enforcement efforts to prevent child sexual exploitation in the UK.