James Madgin, 41, from Sherburn Village, Durham, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after he admitted wanting to sexually abuse a child in an Airbnb during online chats with undercover police officers.
Madgin believed he was talking to a 12-year-old girl, a teacher grooming a pupil, and a mother abusing her own children. In fact, he was communicating with three separate undercover police operatives. He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and two counts of arranging the commission of a child sexual offence.
Online chats with undercover officers
In November 2025, Madgin began chatting with an undercover officer posing as a girl named 'Poppy'. Judge Andrew Hatton said: "You said you were a 'paedo' and told her you were turned on. You described engaging in sexual activity with her and wanted to see her on camera. You acknowledged it was against the law to talk with her." When the decoy sent an image, Madgin said: "Damn, you're cute...I know I shouldn't say that."
In January this year, Madgin chatted with another decoy posing as a teacher from Liverpool called 'Chris', who claimed to be abusing pupils. When told this, Madgin replied: "Nice". Judge Hatton said: "You said in graphic detail you would have sexual intercourse with [a child]. You discussed where the abuse might happen and you suggested an Airbnb."
Previous conviction and sentencing
Madgin also chatted with a third decoy named 'Kelly', who he believed was a mother abusing her own children. He told the officer he was interested in children from "zero to five-years-old" but was "flexible up to nine". He went into "grossly explicit" detail and sent a picture of his penis.
When police raided his home, they found 983 indecent images, 534 of which were in the most severe category A, depicting children as young as six months old. In 2009, Madgin was jailed for eight months for making and distributing indecent images and was on the sex offenders' register for 10 years, which had expired.
Charles Creasey, defending, said Madgin worked full-time but "fully accepts having a deviant sexual interest in children". Madgin appeared via link from HMP Holme House and was jailed for seven years, placed on the sex offenders' register for life, and given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.
