LEE WHITELAM CAUGHT IN HULL BY ONLINE PAEDOPHILE HUNTERS DURING PREDATORY PLOT
A man with a troubling history of alcohol abuse and predatory behavior was unexpectedly confronted at Hull railway station after he traveled there with the intent to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sexual activity.The individual, Lee Whitelam, who has a documented pattern of heavy drinking—consuming two to three liters of cider daily—was lured into a trap set by online paedophile hunters operating under the guise of a minor.
Whitelam arrived at Hull station under the impression that he was about to meet a young girl traveling from Gloucester.
He had been led to believe that she was a 14-year-old girl, and he was prepared to engage in sexual activity with her.
However, his plans were thwarted when the online safety group detained him at the station, and the entire encounter was live-streamed on Facebook, exposing his intentions to a wide audience.
During the court proceedings at Hull Crown Court, it was revealed that Whitelam pleaded with the online vigilantes not to alert the police, citing his previous experience of being duped by a fake 13-year-old girl during an earlier incident.
The court heard that Whitelam, aged 40 and residing on Harley Street off Beverley Road in Hull, admitted to multiple charges, including attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.
Prosecutor Eleanor Mitten provided details of the earlier incident, which took place in May 2022.
She explained that Whitelam had contacted a profile created by an online child protection group, which was pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.
The messages exchanged quickly turned sexual in nature.
The fake girl sent a clothed picture claiming to be herself, to which Whitelam responded with inappropriate comments such as, “Nice body you have – and assets.” He then asked for more pictures and expressed a desire to engage in sexual activity, saying, “Shame you're 13 because would love to get naughty with you.” He repeatedly suggested meeting up and inquired whether she was willing to have sex, discussing what he would do if she came to visit.
His messages continued to contain sexual references, indicating a clear intent to pursue a sexual encounter with a minor.
In the more recent incident, which occurred from January 27 this year, Whitelam sent a friend request to a decoy profile of a 14-year-old girl, also set up by an online vigilante group.
The girl accepted his request, and they exchanged messages.
Initially, he sent non-sexual pictures, but the tone quickly shifted when he sent an explicit image of himself and asked, “Can I join you and keep you warm, babe?” He also made jokes about “naughty pics lol.” Further arrangements were made for the girl to visit him in Hull, where she was supposedly living in Gloucester.
Whitelam told her that she could stay with him and even mentioned buying beer or cider for her visit, making references to having sex.
He said, “A couple of ciders may help you, lol,” indicating his intent to facilitate underage drinking and sexual activity.
Plans for her to travel to Hull were finalized on February 3, with Whitelam instructing her to keep quiet about their plans to avoid legal trouble, saying, “Just don't say nothing because I don't want to go to jail, lol.” He sent her pictures of himself so she could recognize him at Hull railway station, where he was scheduled to meet her at 1:45 pm.
However, the online safety team was waiting for him at the station.
They detained Whitelam at a Costa Coffee shop within the station premises and escorted him away from the area.
During questioning, he claimed that he was simply going to take the girl shopping, denying any sexual intent.
The incident was live-streamed on Facebook, which added to the public exposure of his actions.
A search of his belongings revealed two bags of cannabis inside his backpack.
During police interviews, Whitelam chose to remain silent and did not respond to questions.
It was also noted that he was in breach of three suspended sentences, including one of 14 months and another of four months, both imposed in November 2021 for possessing a knife and threatening behavior.
Additionally, he had violated a 10-month suspended sentence from 2020 related to arson.
Whitelam’s history of criminal behavior and his recent attempts to engage with minors highlight ongoing concerns about his conduct and the risks he poses to the community in Hull.
