March 19, 2021 11.04 am This story is over 37 months old

Lincoln man jailed after grooming young boys online

He met the boys online playing video games

By Local Democracy Reporter

A 26-year-old man from Lincoln who initiated sexual contact with two young children he met playing video games online has been jailed for over four years.

Darren Sanby, 26, of Cannon Street in Lincoln faced charges relating to communicating with two young boys, aged 11 and 13, at Lincoln Crown Court on March 11.

He was arrested back in July 2020 after talking in a sexual manner with the 11-year-old boy, and admitted to doing the same with a 13-year-old boy during a police interview.

Sanby told officers that he had initiated contact with the two boys through online gaming.

He has been remanded in custody since his arrest last year, and was later charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and making indecent images of a child.

Sanby also breached a sexual harm prevention order on two separate occasions, and now remains subject to an indefinite order.

He has been jailed for a total of four years and four months.

Detective Chief Inspector David McKean of Lincolnshire Police says: “If your children are into online gaming it is really important that you know who they are speaking with.

“In this case Sanby used online gaming to start conversations with his victims before communicating with them in a depraved manner over WhatsApp.

“Our focus has been on safeguarding the boys and bringing Sanby to justice, and our communities are now safer for this conviction.”