Robert John Lupton-Le Masurier (41) was jailed for seven months in the Magistrate’s Court after trying to meet someone he had contacted online for sex who he thought was a 13-year-old boy.
The profile was in fact created by online paedophile hunter Cheyenne O’Connor, who was posing as the boy on the gay dating website Grindr.
Lupton-Le Masurier, who is deaf and was once named Britain’s sign language teacher of the year, became the latest of a string of men snared by Miss O’Connor’s activities.
In response to the sentencing, a spokeswoman for the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children said that behaviour like Le Masurier’s can ‘ruin childhoods’.
‘Lupton-Le Masurier knew his depraved actions were wrong but still set out to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old boy following sexual grooming online,’ she said.
‘This kind of predatory abuse can ruin childhoods and have devastating effects which can last into adulthood. Thanks to NSPCC campaigning last year, police can now charge adults who send a sexual message to children in England and Wales. By intervening sooner, police can stop abuse before it starts.
‘We would, however, urge anyone concerned about the safety of a child to contact the police or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk.’
