Keith Fagan, a 68-year-old resident of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, appeared before Durham Crown Court on 30 January 2024, where he was sentenced for a series of child sex offences committed online. Fagan, who had previously been convicted of similar crimes in 2014 and 2023, used aliases such as 'Mike Green' and 'English Guy North East' on social media platforms and dating sites without notifying his offender risk manager, in direct breach of his existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The offences came to light when Fagan contacted a profile on a chat site purporting to be a 13-year-old girl named 'Lottie', operated by a decoy from the paedophile-hunting group Child Online Enforcer Protection (COEP). During the conversation, Fagan complimented the fictional girl, calling her 'gorgeous, sexy and attractive', and quickly escalated to asking intimate questions, admitting he was aroused by her. In a separate incident, he contacted another decoy profile of a young girl named 'Violet Barclay' and urged her to perform a sex act on herself, while sending an explicit image of himself engaging in a sexual act.
COEP reported Fagan's activities to a Scottish child protection team, who confronted him at his home on Bridge Street, Bishop Auckland, on 5 November 2023. Police from Durham Constabulary arrived shortly after and seized his electronic devices. Although Fagan claimed he had already surrendered them, officers discovered a laptop hidden under his bed during a search. Forensic examination of the device confirmed his use of the aliases and the incriminating online interactions.
Fagan, who has been subject to indefinite registration as a sex offender since his 2014 conviction—for which he received a three-year prison sentence for attempting to incite sexual activity with females under 16 and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child—admitted to six charges at his first court appearance in November 2023. These included attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, and four counts of breaching the SHPO. He had been remanded in custody at HMP Holme House since then.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Lucy Todd outlined the details of Fagan's communications, emphasising the predatory nature of his actions. In mitigation, defence barrister Robin Turton argued that Fagan's behaviour stemmed from 'isolation' and 'loneliness', attributing it to his mental health issues for which he was receiving medication. Turton noted Fagan's previously blameless life, including 12 years in the Army and subsequent employment, and his intention to engage in rehabilitative programmes while in custody. However, the probation report described Fagan's explanations as 'minimisation' of his actions.
Judge Nathan Adams, addressing Fagan via video link, highlighted the aggravating factors of his prior convictions and the deliberate nature of the breaches. 'Notwithstanding your two previous terms of imprisonment, you were again on your computer, once more breaching the order,' the judge stated. 'It wasn't to simply chat with adults online, it was again an attempt to chat to children and engage in sexual chat with what you thought were children.' Judge Adams imposed a 28-month custodial sentence, of which Fagan would serve approximately half before release on licence, accounting for time already spent on remand. The judge warned that further breaches would result in longer periods behind bars and ordered the forfeiture of the laptop used in the offences.
This marks Fagan's third prison sentence in 12 years for child sex offences, underscoring a pattern of reoffending despite stringent preventive measures. Durham Constabulary led the investigation, with support from the paedophile-hunting group COEP.