A convicted paedophile who made sexual advances to what he believed was a 14-year-old boy has been jailed for eight years after a judge branded his actions “gratuitous self-indulgence.”
James Brooking, 30, of Upwood Road, Ramsey, was caught in an undercover sting after contacting what he thought was a teenage boy on the adult social media platform Fabguys on 3 July. The ‘boy’ was in fact an undercover police officer.
After exchanging mobile numbers, Brooking began asking for indecent photographs, turned the conversation sexual, and told the decoy he wanted to see him in his school uniform. He also sent explicit images of himself and tried to arrange a meeting.
The contact ended on 10 July, and Brooking was arrested four days later at an address where a child was present—something he had failed to disclose to police, in breach of strict conditions from a previous conviction.
Brooking had been convicted of child sex offences in 2014 and was required to notify police of any new online usernames or if he stayed overnight at an address where a child lived. He failed to comply with both obligations.
Appearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday, 24 October, Brooking pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch sexual activity, arranging to commit a child sex offence, and four counts of failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements.
Judge Andrew Hurst described Brooking’s behaviour as “highly sexualised” and evidence that he was “out of control” and had “learnt nothing” from his past crimes.
PC Emily Heriot, who led the investigation, said: “Brooking displayed disguised compliance, but the truth has caught up with him. We will do everything we can to ensure those who intend to harm children face justice.”
