A “vile” man who went by the online name of “funtimefred” has been jailed for attempting to groom someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl but who was actually an undercover police officer.
Phillip Buckingham, 61, of Goole, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty on 16 May to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child after he messaged a police decoy account.
At Hull Crown Court on 20 August, he was given nine months in prison, made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Det Con Paul Twidale said: “Buckingham is a vile individual who sought to exploit who he believed to be a vulnerable child.”
An investigation was launched in November 2022 when Buckingham used messaging apps to initiate contact with a social media profile he believed belonged to a 13-year-old.
He sent a series of sexually explicit messages, including an indecent image of himself, to the decoy account and encouraged the recipient to send a photo in return, police said.
Det Con Twidale said: “Thankfully, no child was harmed as Buckingham was talking to a decoy social media account, and I am pleased he is now behind bars and facing the consequences of his disturbing behaviour.”