A paedophile using the name “Bunnies” who indulged in disgusting online sex chats with two undercover police officers posing as under-age girls denied having a sexual interest in children.
But a judge told 43-year-old Nigel Lambert – who used the online handle ‘Bunnies’ – “That is simply unrealistic. Of course you had, that is why you committed these offences.
“You have to face up to that and confront it,” said Judge Brian Cummings, KC.
Lambert had actually been conversing with two ‘decoy’ police officers posing as 13-year-old girls and Judge Cummings said he accepted there were no actual children involved.
However he pointed out that the defendant had also been caught with child porn images which did involve “real children being abused for the benefit of people like you.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard today (Friday) that Lambert, formerly of Longdin Street in Latchford, Warrington, began chatting to the first ‘child’ via KIK with the user name ‘Bunnies” on February 10, 2022.
He claimed to be 36 and living near Manchester and asked if she would “s….” an older male. Despite her telling him she was 13 he began “a sexualised chat” and asked about her sexual experience.
In messages to her the next day he again asked about her sexual experiences and when she said she had kissed he asked if “she wanted to do more.
“She said if it was the right person and he replied, ‘I am the right person’,” said Mr Chris Taylor, prosecuting.
The following day he made further lewd suggestions and sent her photographs of adults engaged in sex and sent her a video of himself masturbating.
In July that year he began similar conversations with another decoy officer, also posing as a 13-year-old girl and sent her a picture of an erect penis.
He was arrested in December 2022 and made no comment. When his mobile phone was forensically examined two Category B images of children being abused were found as well as one of bestiality.
Lambert, now of Wellington Road, Preston, pleaded guilty to four offences of attempting to communicate with a child, two of possessing child porn and one of possessing extreme pornography.
Gerald Baxter, defending, said that Lambert has no previous convictions and had had adult heterosexual relationships. “He is in good employment and has expressed genuine remorse.
“If he is jailed he will lose his job and his privately rented room in a house. He has been trying to deal with some of his problems, particularly alcohol.
“He has perhaps had more than his fair share of problems in his life to overcome. He would welcome any assistance that might be given to him.”
Judge Cummings said that he “could not accept he had truly shown remorse as it was clear from some of the things he had told the author of his pre-sentence report that he was not fully accepting what he had done and there is a level of denial on your part.”
He ruled there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 30 days rehabilitation activities.
Judge Cummings also ordered him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and imposed a Sexual Harm Behaviour Order for the same length of time.
