Lucien Cooper

A man from West Auckland engaged in increasingly sexualised online conversations with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, leading to his arrest and conviction for child sexual offences, as reported by The Northern Echo on 15 October 2023.

The contact began on 9 February 2023 via the Kik messaging app, initially polite, but soon escalated. After moving to Skype, Lucien Cooper learned the girl claimed to be 13 years old. Over a 20-day period, the conversations became suggestive, with Cooper requesting pictures and describing acts such as teaching her to kiss and touch herself. He mentioned using a leash to walk her like a dog, stating it would be 'fun to treat her like a dog,' according to prosecutor Jonathan Harley at Durham Crown Court.

• The chats ended on 1 March 2023 after Cooper asked if she watched pornography, claiming he would leave her alone for a job interview.
• Police arrested him on 9 March 2023 at his home in Mill Race, West Auckland, seizing a mobile phone hidden under a mattress.
• Forensic examination revealed indecent and prohibited images of children on the device.

Cooper, aged 33 with no prior convictions, admitted the offences during police interview. He pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, attempting sexual communication with a child, three counts of making indecent images of children, and one count of possessing prohibited images.

In mitigation, Stephen Hamill noted Cooper's early admissions and cooperation, describing him as 'forthcoming' with police before device examination. Cooper had independently sought counselling to address his behaviour.

Judge James Adkin described the acts as grooming for sexual gratification, emphasising Cooper believed he was communicating with a real 13-year-old. He called the images on the phone 'utterly repellent,' depicting children abused by adults. Despite the 'attempted' nature, sentencing guidelines allowed only minimal reduction. Cooper received a 25-month prison sentence, a 10-year sex offender registration, and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The case was investigated by Durham Constabulary, highlighting online grooming risks.