Man who messaged 'girl, 14' asking for naked photos and sex, given 18-month community order at Peterborough Crown Court

Thomas Turney, 38, believed he was messaging a 14-year-old girl but the account was, in fact, a decoy set up and controlled by an online child abuse activist group (OCAG).

Turney made contact with the “girl” in October last year and over the following weeks became increasingly explicit, saying he wanted to have sex with her and requesting naked pictures of her, despite her claims to be only 14 and not know what sex was.

The group behind the decoy account passed the information onto police and Turney was subsequently arrested at his home in Langdale Close, Cambridge on November 15.

Turney was sentenced to an 18-month community order for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (January 24).

Detective Constable, Lesley Sonnen, who investigated, said: “Turney was persistent in his communications with the person who he believed to be 14 years old, frequently sending them messages of an inappropriate nature, asking for responses and frequently telling them to clear their chats.

“Fortunately, the person he chose to communicate with was a decoy, but Turney’s intent has been evident throughout the course of this investigation.”