Lucien Cooper 35

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A man engaged in increasingly sexualised online conversation with what he believed to be an underage girl, a court heard.

But Lucien Cooper was, in reality, chatting to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Durham Crown Court heard that contact was first made through the Kik messaging app, on February 9, last year, but after a few days it moved onto Skype, with Cooper soon made aware the female with whom he was chatting was claiming to be 13.

Jonathan Harley, prosecuting, said the tone of the conversation began very politely, but over a 20-day period from February 9 last year it became gradually more suggestive and Cooper said he would “love to see a picture” of his correspondent.

He told her he would teach her to kiss and to touch herself, while he said he had a leash on which he could walk her round, as it would be, “fun to treat her like a dog.”

The chat came to an end on March 1 after he asked if she watched pornography, but he said he would then leave her alone as he was preparing for a job interview.

Police went to his home and arrested him on March 9, seizing his mobile phone, which was found hidden under a mattress.

Examination of the phone uncovered indecent and prohibited images of children.

Mr Harley said Cooper, who has no previous convictions, made full admissions over his online activities when interviewed by police.

The 33-year-old defendant, of Mill Race, West Auckland, admitted attempting to incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He also admitted three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of children and one of possessing prohibited images of children.

Stephen Hamill, mitigating, said the defendant made admissions at the earliest opportunity and unlike most similar cases was “forthcoming” with the police inquiry.

“This is a defendant who put his hands up before his devices were examined.”

Mr Hamill said Cooper has also seen his doctor and undertaken counselling sessions independently, which he feels has benefited him, in trying to address his behaviour.

Judge James Adkin said Cooper encouraged what he thought was a 13-year-old girl to perform sex acts on herself, “grooming her”, all for his own sexual gratification.

“As far as you were concerned this was a 13-year-old girl,” said Judge Adkin, adding that the guidelines now indicate there should only be a minimal deduction in sentence for “attempted” activity where defendants believe the intended victim does exist.

Cooper was also found to have what the judge described as, “utterly repellent” images of children being sexually abused by adults on his phone.

Imposing a 25-month prison sentence, Judge Adkin also made Cooper subject of registration as a sex offender and the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both for ten years.