Seaton man jailed for online sex chat with '12-year-old girl'

A man identified as Jonsen Lamb has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after engaging in online sexual communication with what he believed was a 12-year-old girl, but was actually an undercover police officer. The court heard that Lamb did not realize he was speaking to law enforcement and made sexual advances, which included sending explicit images and making sexual suggestions. Lamb also discussed the possibility of meeting up with the girl. The incident occurred in April, and after two days of online exchanges, the chat was terminated by the officer. Lamb was subsequently arrested after surrendering his phone, which contained the message thread. During sentencing, the judge described Lamb as 'pretty dangerous' and noted he posed a 'high risk to children.' Lamb, aged 26, from Low Seaton Village near Workington, had previously been subject to sex offender notification requirements since April 2021 following a prior conviction involving online chats with a decoy. Despite completing rehabilitation and remaining offense-free for some time, Lamb reverted to similar offending earlier this year amid personal stresses. The court also found that he had breached sex offender notification laws by failing to update police with his latest personal information. Lamb pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a minor to watch a sexual act. The judge stated that Lamb was a 'pretty dangerous young man' and that he would remain on sex offender register for 10 years.