LEE MOLE FROM DURHAM INVOLVED IN CHILD ABUSE PLOT WITH US OFFENDER
A disturbing case has emerged involving Lee Mole, a resident of Blackhall Colliery in County Durham, who was found to have engaged in heinous online exchanges with an individual in the United States, sharing and encouraging the sexual abuse of young children.The court heard that Mole, described as an entrenched paedophile, actively participated in the distribution of indecent images and incited a foreign accomplice to commit further acts of child abuse.
According to evidence presented at Durham Crown Court, Mole used the messaging platform Kick Messenger to communicate with a man based in Oregon.
The exchanges between the two revealed a disturbing pattern of depraved discussions centered around their sexual interest in very young girls.
The court was told that Mole encouraged the American man to sexually assault a two-year-old child and even asked him to post images of the abuse online.
These exchanges included images classified as Category A and B, depicting children aged between eight and ten being subjected to sexual abuse.
The prosecution revealed that the nature of these conversations came to the attention of US Homeland Security authorities, which led to the arrest of the Oregon-based individual.
The defendant, who used the email address associated with the username ‘BigLadBrown181280,’ was identified as having been in contact with the American man.
The court heard that Mole’s involvement extended over a period of six months, during which he expressed a desire to see the abuse continue and even escalate.
Prosecutor Annelise Haugstad stated that Mole’s discussions with the US offender revolved around their mutual enjoyment of abusing young girls.
She further explained that Mole explicitly incited the man in Oregon to abuse a two-year-old child, and images of this abuse were sent to him at Mole’s request.
The court also learned that at the time of these exchanges, Mole was under investigation by Durham Police for possessing indecent images of children.
He was scheduled to plead guilty to those charges and was already serving a suspended 15-month prison sentence from a previous conviction in October of the previous year.
Additionally, it was revealed that Mole has a prior conviction dating back to 2015 related to similar offences.
When questioned about the images exchanged with the US man, Mole initially denied any knowledge of them.
However, he later admitted that he had been involved in such activities for approximately six months.
During questioning, he confessed that his sexual interest in children was something that aroused him.
The 53-year-old defendant, who resides on Hardwick Street in Blackhall Colliery, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of distributing such images.
In mitigation, Vic Laffey, representing Mole, acknowledged the seriousness of the charges but emphasized that his client was aware of the gravity of his actions.
Laffey pointed out that Mole had been honest with the Probation Service about his issues and had shown some progress during a two-year order, including a year of positive engagement with probation officers.
He argued that an immediate custodial sentence could undo the efforts Mole had made and that his poor health and various ailments should be taken into account.
Judge Jo Kidd addressed the court, highlighting that Mole’s latest offending occurred while he was under investigation and on bail, following the seizure of devices in January 2023.
The judge emphasized that police had found numerous indecent images of children on these devices.
She described the exchanges with the US offender as particularly heinous, noting that Mole not only engaged in chat but actively incited the man to commit sexual assault on a two-year-old girl.
The court was told that Mole claimed to have also engaged in abuse himself, which, while possibly fantasy, clearly involved incitement.
Judge Kidd condemned Mole’s actions as part of a disturbing group interested in sharing images of child abuse.
She remarked that there are few more serious or disgusting offences, especially considering his previous convictions.
The judge acknowledged that Mole had been given opportunities to address his depraved interests but failed to do so, leading to this grave escalation of his criminal behaviour.
