A man who tried to engage in sexual communication with two teenage girls has been jailed for three years.
Mohammed Hussain, 38 of Ivy Road, Luton, was arrested in July 2020, following reports that he had attempted to engage in sexual communication with who he believed to be a 12 and 13-year-old girl.
Hussain started an online chat with who he thought were young girls, sending them a number of sexually explicit messages and pornographic images and videos.
Following a six-day trial in April 2021, Hussain was found guilty of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment at Luton Crown Court on Thursday, June 17, 2021.
Investigation Officer Emma Shipton, from Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “Child sexual abuse will not be tolerated in Bedfordshire and we’re committed to tackling offenders to prevent them from causing further harm, as well as providing support and justice to victims. I am pleased that Hussain has received a custodial sentence and that there were no victims involved on this occasion.
“This case is a reminder of how predators use different forms of social media, web chats and online forums to target victims.
“We would encourage parents and guardians to actively educate your children about the dangers of social media and about online safety, make sure that they feel comfortable in speaking about anything they see online which makes them feel uncomfortable. This also includes not talking to anyone who they don’t know in real life, not sharing any personal information, and keeping privacy settings as high as possible.”
Parents can visit the Parents Protect website, which is run by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, for lots of useful resources to help prevent child sexual abuse. It also contains a list of organisations and resources focusing on keeping children safe in the digital world.
The NSPCC Share Aware website also contains advice and tips about how children can keep themselves safe online.
If you have been affected by crime, the Signpost Hub offers free and confidential support to victims in Bedfordshire, whether it has been reported to police or not, and irrespective of where and when the crime occurred.
In an emergency always call 999.
