July 2022 Paedophile sent sexually explicit messages and pictures to someone he though was 12 A paedophile who sent sexually explicit messages and pictures to an undercover officer posing as a 12-year-old girl has been jailed. Daniel Potts, 29, of Colchester was caught in a “classic undercover officer sting” as he sent twisted messages to a decoy. Chelmsford Crown Court heard he sent her explicit pictures of himself and tried to “teach her to masturbate”. Jerry Hayes, prosecuting, said: “The defendant made it very clear repeatedly that he wanted to meet with her and engage in sexual activity. He asked for a naked picture of her.” Judge Walker said only a sentence of immediate imprisonment would do, adding the facts “clearly indicated” Potts had a sexual interest in children. “Your incitement involved repeated communications with a child, who you thought was only 12 years of age,” he said. “You sent various photographs and videos of yourself masturbating, thinking that a 12-year-old would be seeing those.” Potts was jailed for 32 months, will be subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.