Luton man jailed over sex messages to underage girls in online sting

Mohammed Hussain has been jailed for three years

Mohammed Hussain, 38 of Ivy Road, was jailed for three years at Luton Crown Court on Thursday, June 17.

Hussain came to the attention of Beds Police in July 2020, following reports he'd had explicit conversations with two internet users who he believed to be a 12 and 13-year-old girl.

Hussain started online chats with the pair, sending them a number of sexual messages as well as pornographic images and videos.

Following a six day trial, Hussain was found guilty of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

Emma Shipton, from Bedfordshire Police’s internet child abuse investigation team, said: “Child sexual abuse will not be tolerated in Bedfordshire and we’re committed to tackling offenders to prevent them from causing further harm, as well as providing support and justice to victims.

"I am pleased that Hussain has received a custodial sentence and that there were no victims involved on this occasion.

“This case is a reminder of how predators use different forms of social media, web chats and online forums to target victims.

“We would encourage parents and guardians to actively educate your children about the dangers of social media and about online safety, make sure that they feel comfortable in speaking about anything they see online which makes them feel uncomfortable.

"This also includes not talking to anyone who they don’t know in real life, not sharing any personal information, and keeping privacy settings as high as possible.”

Parents can visit the Parents Protect website for useful resources to help prevent child sexual abuse.

The NSPCC Share Aware website also contains advice and tips about how children can keep themselves safe online.

If you have been affected by crime, the Signpost Hub offers free and confidential support to victims in Bedfordshire, whether it has been reported to police or not, and irrespective of where and when the crime occurred.

In an emergency always call 999.