Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Monday, 25th November 2024, at 14:55hrs
The predator was caught in an online sting talking sexually to children he believed to be as young as 12
An online sexual predator from Blackburn has been sent to prison after being convicted of having sexual conversations with what he believed to be children following an online sting.
In a statement released after sentencing, Lancashire Police said:
“The man pictured is 50-year-old Daniel Johnson and he is an online sexual predator.
Last June Johnson was caught out in an online sting attempting to incite children to engage in sexual activity with him from his home in Blackburn. Thankfully Johnson was not talking to 12-year-old girls, he was talking to adult decoys who were posing as children.
On Friday Johnson appeared at Preston Crown Court where he was jailed for four years.
On 25th June 2023, Johnson sent sexualised messages to what he thought was a child. She stated she was 12 in the online chat, but he carried on sending her obscene messages. He then sent her a lewd video of himself.
The following day Johnson initiated an online conversation with another ‘child’ who stated she was 12 years old. Despite this, Johnson continued to send her sexually explicit messages.
The adult decoy contacted police and Johnson, formerly of Leamington Road, Blackburn, but now of no fixed address, was arrested.
Five days later we were contacted by officers in North Wales who stated that they were also investigating Johnson.
Johnson had contacted adult decoys in North Wales, believing the person at the other end of the online chat was 14 years old. Johnson continued to send the ‘child’ sexually explicit messages and followed that up with two videos featuring adult content.
Evidence came to light that Johnson had been sending sexually explicit messages to two further ‘children’ online who he believed were 14 years old.
Following his arrests, Johnson’s phone was seized, and seven indecent images of children were found on it. There were also 53 images of female children asleep in their underwear. There was also evidence of concerning internet searches.
Johnson pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, making indecent images of a child, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity and attempting to cause/incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
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