Undercover sting snares paedophile who tried to get child to commit sex act

The paedophile was snared by an undercover officer.
Darran Faith, 43, of Sunderland.Darran Faith, 43, of Sunderland.
Darran Faith, 43, of Sunderland.

A man has been jailed after making indecent images of children and attempting to engage one of them in a sexual act.

Darran Faith, 43, was interviewed in January 2021 after engaging in sexual communications with a child online. However, what he didn’t know was he was actually speaking to an undercover officer from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU). As part of the investigation, a number of devices were also seized from his home in Sunderland including his laptop – and when examined, the devices contained multiple indecent images of children.

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Investigating officers worked tirelessly to build a strong evidential case to present at court and charged Faith with attempting sexual communication with a child and of making indecent images of children. Due to the exceptional police work and the mountain of evidence gathered by the team, Faith pleaded guilty to all counts at South Tyneside Magistrates’ on October 27. This week he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 2 years.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Rob Smoult, from the Northumbria Police Cyber Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), talked of the commitment to safeguarding victims.

She said: “When sex offenders operate online and through social media they think they can hide their crimes but this case shows the lengths officers will go to protect victims and bring offenders before the courts. This has been a long and thorough investigation by our team but the strength and bravery of the victim has been inspiring. Her actions have helped us protect other potential victims and put a dangerous predator behind bars. We would always encourage anyone with information about this type of offending, or anyone who thinks they have been a victim to come forward and talk to us – we’re here for you and we will support you.”

Faith was also ordered to 35 days rehabilitation, 10 years sex offender notification requirement and 10 year sexual harm prevention order.

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