BURNLEY PAEDOPHILE LEE TERRELL CAUGHT ONLINE TRYING TO TRICK 13-YEAR-OLDS
In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the town of Burnley, Lee Terrell, aged 36, has been sentenced to prison after engaging in predatory online conversations with individuals he believed to be young girls, and for physically assaulting his partner.The court proceedings, held at Preston Crown Court, revealed a pattern of disturbing behavior that spanned several months and involved both online grooming and violent domestic abuse.
Prosecutor Francis McEntee outlined how Terrell had created an account on Kik, a popular messaging platform, under the aliases ‘cheating husband’ and ‘boy with a big toy’.
His online activities began on March 26, when he initiated contact with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl named ‘Izzy’.
Unbeknownst to him, ‘Izzy’ was an undercover police officer.
During their conversations, Terrell inquired about her age and was reassured that she was 13.
Despite knowing her age, he continued to engage with her, discussing personal topics such as masturbation and infidelity, and even sending pictures of himself.
Importantly, these images were not sexual in nature, but the conversations clearly indicated his intent.
By June 10, Terrell had shifted his focus to another undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl named ‘Poppy’.
During their exchanges, he asked whether she was a “sweet girl or a bad girl” and later, on June 23, he sent a video depicting sexual activity after claiming he was naked and offering to show her.
His communication with ‘Poppy’ persisted until July 5, during which he described himself as a ‘nonce’ and attributed his behavior to having a difficult time and drug use.
In a separate incident on July 9, Terrell’s violent tendencies surfaced in a domestic context.
He woke his then-partner early in the morning, falsely claiming the children needed to go to school, although it was only 6 am on a Saturday.
When his partner refused, he became aggressive, physically assaulting her by forcing her to the ground, placing her in a headlock, and stamping on her leg.
He threatened her to stay silent, warning that he would wake the children if she spoke out.
Later that day, after returning from work, Terrell’s anger flared again.
He found his ex-partner sleeping, and an outreach worker witnessing the scene described how he was dragging her around the room, grabbing her by her feet, and pulling her off the bed.
Following his arrest, Terrell admitted to police that he was responsible for the online conversations and the assault.
However, he also claimed that if he was guilty, then his partner was also to blame.
His defense lawyer, Neil Cronin, highlighted that Terrell had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, acknowledging his wrongdoing in both cases.
Terrell, of Rome Avenue in Burnley, faced multiple charges, including two counts of assault by beating, one count of inciting a child to view a sexual image, and two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
The court sentenced him to 18 months in prison.
Judge John Richard Jones emphasized that Terrell believed he was communicating with young girls, but in reality, he was speaking to undercover officers.
The judge stated, “Poppy and Izzy were thankfully not young girls.
They were undercover officers using the platform to identify individuals engaging in sexual activity like you did.” He further added, “From the outset, you believed you were speaking with young and impressionable girls.” In addition to his prison sentence, Terrell will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for six years, aimed at protecting potential victims from further harm.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by online predators and the importance of vigilant law enforcement efforts to combat such crimes in Burnley and beyond.
