James Brooking

James Brooking, a 30-year-old man from Ramsey in Cambridgeshire, was sentenced to eight years in prison for a series of child sex offences committed in July. The case, investigated by Cambridgeshire Constabulary, highlighted Brooking's repeated failure to adhere to sex offender registration requirements following a prior conviction.

On 3 July, Brooking initiated contact on the social media platform Fabguys with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old boy. He requested the decoy's mobile phone number and, after exchanging details, began soliciting inappropriate photos and steering the conversation towards sexual topics. Brooking expressed a desire to see the 'boy' in his school uniform, suggested meeting up, and sent explicit images of himself. The interaction concluded on 10 July, leading to Brooking's arrest on 14 July at an address where a child was present, a fact he had not reported to police as required.

Brooking had been convicted of child sex offences in 2014 and was subject to strict notification obligations, including alerting authorities to new online usernames and stays of 12 hours or more at addresses with children. He breached these requirements on four counts. At Cambridge Crown Court on Friday, 24 October, Brooking pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity, arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, and the four notification failures.

Judge Andrew Hurst condemned Brooking's actions as 'highly sexualised' and 'gratuitous self-indulgence', stating that he was 'out of control' with his urges, had 'learnt nothing' from his previous conviction, and lacked 'the courage or conviction to acknowledge' his interest in children. PC Emily Heriot, the investigating officer from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, remarked: 'Brooking displayed a disguised compliance with his requirements, but the truth has caught up with him. We will do everything we can to put those who intend to harm children in front of the courts so they can face justice.'

The case underscores ongoing efforts by Cambridgeshire Constabulary to monitor and prosecute individuals posing risks to children online. Brooking, of Upwood Road, Ramsey, will serve his custodial sentence following these serious breaches.