Nalika Ranasinghe

Nalika Ranasinghe

55, Male Custodial - 6y 6m 2025-03-20

Ely, Cambridgeshire

Offender ID: 8fb18b73-55b1-462e-ad2d-e0597cc5a6a3

Offence Summary

Nalika Ranasinghe, a 55-year-old man from Ely, exchanged over 1,200 sexual messages with a decoy posing as a 14-year-old girl and was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity. He was sentenced in absentia to six and a half years in prison at Cambridge Crown Court.

Full Description

A 55-year-old man from Littleport in Ely, Cambridgeshire, has been jailed for six and a half years after being snared by an online child activist group for attempting to groom what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. Nalika Ranasinghe, of The Hythe, began communicating with the decoy account in February 2023, persisting with sexual conversations despite the 'girl' repeatedly stating her age and rejecting his advances.

Ranasinghe exchanged more than 1,200 messages, turning the interactions explicitly sexual. He encouraged the 'child' to engage in sexual acts alone and with her 12-year-old cousin, and expressed intentions to meet her, stating, 'I will touch you one day if you let me.' Unbeknownst to him, the account was operated by the activist group, who confronted him at his home on 14 February 2023 before alerting the police.

Upon arrest, Ranasinghe admitted to sending the messages but claimed he knew he was speaking to an adult man rather than a child. He was released on court bail but failed to attend his sentencing hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on 20 March 2025. In his absence, he was found guilty on two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity. The court imposed a custodial sentence of six years and six months.

Detective Sergeant Mike Paget of Cambridgeshire Constabulary commented on the case, stating: 'Ranasinghe was extremely persistent in his pursuit of sexual gratification from this ‘child’, who continually tried to reject his advances. He poses a significant risk to children, which is reflected in the sentence, and we are keen to arrest him as soon as possible so he goes to prison. I would urge anyone who knows of his whereabouts to contact police straight away.'

Ranasinghe is now considered a wanted man, and authorities are appealing for public assistance in locating him to ensure he serves his sentence. The case highlights the role of vigilante activist groups in identifying potential child sex offenders, leading to police intervention and prosecution.

Location

City: Ely

County: Cambridgeshire

Address: The Hythe

Case Details

Police Force: Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Sentence Length: 6 years 6 months (Custodial)

Expected Release: July 2029
Guideline: two-thirds served for sentences ≥4 years; half otherwise (England & Wales). Estimates only.

Full Sentence End: September 2031
If served in full. Estimates only.

Name heritage (predicted origin)

Country: Sri Lanka

Confidence: 95%

Special Thanks

A huge thank you to Cambridgeshire Constabulary for their tireless dedication in bringing this offender to justice. Your commitment and hard work truly help keep our communities safe, and we are deeply grateful.

Source: hellorayo.co.uk

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