James Ellis

A 35-year-old man from Peckham, south east London, has been handed a suspended prison sentence after engaging in sexual communication with individuals he believed to be children online. James Ellis, residing on Buller Close, was arrested on 15 September following reports of his inappropriate online activity.

Court documents reveal that on 13 September, Ellis sent explicit sexual messages to decoy accounts posing as children. Among the content shared were photographs of his penis, constituting attempts to engage in sexual communication with minors. The accounts were operated by the Child Online Safety Team, a group of paedophile hunters dedicated to exposing potential offenders through undercover operations.

Ellis was charged with two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, contrary to the Serious Crime Act 2007, and an additional charge of possession of cocaine. He entered guilty pleas to all three charges at an earlier hearing.

• Arrest: 15 September at his home in Peckham.
• Offence date: 13 September.
• Charges: Two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child; possession of cocaine.

The case was heard at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 5 November. District Judge (name not specified in reports) sentenced Ellis to nine months' custody, suspended for two years. In addition to the suspended term, he was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work within the community and up to 25 days of rehabilitation activities aimed at addressing his behaviour.

Further measures include a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years, which prohibits unsupervised contact with children under 16 and restricts his internet usage, requiring notification of devices and accounts to authorities. Ellis must also register as a sex offender on the national database for the next decade, in line with the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

This incident highlights the role of online safety teams in preventing child sexual exploitation, with Ellis's actions intercepted before any real harm could occur to actual minors. The Metropolitan Police, responsible for the south east London area, confirmed the arrest and charges, emphasising their commitment to tackling online grooming and sexual offences against children.