STEVE LANCASTER AND CRIMINAL OFFENCE IN DURHAM
A serving soldier’s career has been effectively terminated following his involvement in online sexual communication with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl.The individual at the center of this case is Steven Lancaster, whose actions and subsequent legal proceedings have garnered significant attention in Durham.
The incident dates back to October 2020 when Lancaster, then aged 34, made initial contact on the Kik messaging application.
He believed he was interacting with a young girl named ‘Megan,’ whose profile was publicly posted on a website called Young Girls and Older Men.
This profile was unfortunately not genuine; it had been created and posted on the site by a member of Innocent Voices, an organization dedicated to online child protection.
This organization had deliberately set up the profile to monitor and gather information on potential predators.
Durham Crown Court heard details of the case, including the fact that Lancaster was made fully aware that ‘Megan’ was claiming to be only 14 years old.
Despite this, he engaged in what the prosecution described as “prolonged and consistent communication” over more than a month.
The nature of their exchanges was highly inappropriate, with Lancaster sending explicit images of naked women and photographs depicting sexual acts between individuals.
These conversations and exchanges included graphic sexual content, which raised serious concerns.
Following these events, Innocent Voices reported Lancaster’s conduct to the police.
When police arrested him, they seized his mobile device, uncovering a cache of concerning content.
On his phone, they discovered several indecent videos involving children aged between 10 and 14, with two videos classified as category A (most serious) and two as category B, along with an additional video in category C.
Furthermore, there was at least one indecent image of a child also classified under category C.
The videos ranged in length from approximately 30 seconds to nearly two minutes.
Lancaster was taken into custody and subsequently interviewed by authorities.
During the interview, he fully admitted to the offending behavior; however, he denied having any actual sexual interest in children or deriving sexual gratification from the images found on his device.
At the time of the hearing, Lancaster was 36 years old and had previously maintained a reputation free from such allegations.
He faced charges including attempted engagement in sexual communication with a minor and possession of indecent images of children in three categories—A, B, and C.
The defense, represented by Amrit Jandoo, emphasized that Lancaster’s actions were based on his belief that he was communicating with a minor who, in reality, did not exist.
The lawyer acknowledged that the images found on Lancaster’s phone were deeply disturbing but sought to highlight the context of his psychological state.
Jandoo explained that Lancaster had been suffering from severe depression, which was linked to injuries sustained during his service as a soldier.
He emphasized that, despite his military service which was seen as commendable, Lancaster’s career was now over because of his illegal and unethical behavior.
The lawyer expressed disappointment over the situation and suggested that probation and counseling could be effective in helping Lancaster address his issues.
Judge James Adkin addressed the court, noting that Lancaster genuinely believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl.
He considered whether a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) might help prevent future offending, and he took into account Lancaster’s medical problems, depression, and the strong references to his character provided by those who knew him.
Ultimately, Judge Adkin decided to suspend the standard eight-month prison sentence for two years, taking into account Lancaster’s situation and the moderate risk he posed to the public.
As part of his sentence, Lancaster was ordered to complete 50 hours of unpaid community work, participate in 30 probation-led rehabilitation sessions, and engage in a sex offenders’ group work program.
Additionally, he was subjected to the sex offender registration requirements, which will be in place for ten years.
The court also issued a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order to restrict Lancaster’s activities and prevent further offenses.
