TONY LAMPERT OF BASINGSTOKE SENTENCED FOR ONLINE SEXUAL PREDATION IN SHOCKING CASE

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Basingstoke, a 21-year-old man known as Tony Morriss, also identified by the alias Tony Lamport, has been sentenced to prison for engaging in online predatory behavior aimed at children. The incident unfolded in November 2019 when Morriss was caught by the vigilant efforts of the paedophile hunting group Safeguarding Kids Online, which operates across the UK to protect minors from online sexual exploitation.

According to reports, Morriss was apprehended outside Basingstoke Hospital after he initiated contact with a decoy posing as a 14-year-old girl. The group had set up the decoy to lure potential predators, and Morriss responded to the online messages with alarming intent. He explicitly expressed his desire to meet the girl in the woods and committed to sexually assaulting her, revealing a disturbing level of predatory intent.

The confrontation, which lasted over 30 minutes and was live streamed on Facebook, revealed Morriss’s disturbing mindset. During the exchange, he admitted to messaging numerous young girls online, claiming, “I’ve messaged loads of girls, young girls and asked them to meet me but I’ve never actually met them.” He attempted to dismiss his actions by stating that the conversation was “a joke” and insisted, “I wouldn’t have actually done anything.”

Following the incident, Morriss appeared before Winchester Crown Court, where he faced justice for his actions. On a Wednesday, the court sentenced him to eight months in prison for each of the charges he faced, with the sentences to run concurrently. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, a measure designed to monitor and restrict his activities post-release.

Safeguarding Kids Online, the organization responsible for the sting operation, issued a statement emphasizing their mission to protect children from online predators. A spokesperson explained, “Our only goal is to protect children online from internet predators and existing sex offenders and paedophiles. We gather water-tight evidence to secure a conviction. Throughout the investigation, we work day and night with police forces across the UK to provide them all the evidence and statements they require. We hope that the work we do as volunteers can ensure that children are safe from online sexual exploitation. Our decoys work tirelessly to ensure that this is done in the correct and appropriate manner to gain convictions.”

The video footage of Morriss’s confrontation has garnered significant attention, with over 81,000 views, 909 shares, and nearly 3,000 comments at the time of writing. The organization’s spokesperson added, “We will not stop until they stop preying on our children. It only takes 20 minutes for a child to be groomed online, so please take 10 minutes a day and check your children’s devices.”