JAMES MCMURDO PUDSEY PAEDOPHILE CAUGHT IN LEEDS HOTEL PLOT

In September 2022, a disturbing case emerged involving James McMurdo, a man with a long history of public service, who was caught engaging in heinous online predatory behavior targeting minors. McMurdo, a retired special constable with over two decades of service and known for his voluntary work with a homeless charity, became the focus of a sting operation after he attempted to arrange a meeting with what he believed were underage girls in a Leeds hotel.

McMurdo, who resided on St Vincent Road in Pudsey, initiated contact with several profiles on a messaging platform, claiming to be interested in forming relationships with young girls. The profiles he contacted were actually decoy accounts operated by hunter groups aiming to expose online predators. These groups had set up the profiles to appear as girls aged 12, 13, and 14, in order to catch individuals like McMurdo.

According to prosecutor John Batchelor, McMurdo's conversations with the decoy profiles quickly turned explicit. Within just six minutes of initiating contact with the 12-year-old profile, he began asking her about sexual activities. He expressed a desire to meet her in Leeds and proposed going to a hotel for sex, explicitly stating his intention to record the encounter and sell the videos for profit. He also suggested that another girl he had contacted, along with an additional man, should join them for the planned meeting.

Throughout the exchanges, McMurdo sent lewd images of himself and requested similar photos from the decoy girls. His conversations were filled with vile, sexually explicit language, and he repeatedly insisted on meeting in person. The predator's actions were ultimately thwarted when the hunter groups confronted him on August 8, leading to his immediate arrest.

During his court appearance at Leeds Crown Court, McMurdo admitted to three counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a Category C indecent image of a child and three extreme pornographic images involving animals and humans, which police had seized from his internet devices. The court heard that McMurdo's behavior was not only predatory but also deeply disturbing in its explicit nature.

Judge Geoffrey Marson KC condemned McMurdo's conduct, describing the conversations as vile, sexually explicit, and disgusting. The judge emphasized that McMurdo's repeated requests to meet and his graphic sexual talk were beyond belief. In light of the severity of his actions, the judge sentenced him to 26 months in prison. Additionally, McMurdo was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to restrict his internet usage and was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next decade, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities.