A Derbyshire man has been jailed for eight years and three months after paedophile hunters caught him attempting to contact a child he believed was 13 years old.
Zak Waring, 26, of Lodge Avenue, pretended to be 16 when he began messaging the 'girl' in April 2026, telling her his picture made him look older. He asked her to perform sex acts and sent explicit photos and videos of himself.
Derbyshire Crown Court heard Waring was actually talking to a decoy operated by a group of self-styled paedophile hunters, Derbyshire Live reports.
Previous conviction and court orders
Waring had a previous conviction for a similar offence and was subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order that banned him from using any messaging service to contact a child under 16. He began speaking with the 'girl' on the online platform Bigo before moving the conversation to WhatsApp.
Police Constable Michelle Azizi, of Derbyshire Police, said: “Zak Waring went on to offend again, despite a previous jail term for a similar offence and ongoing court orders prohibiting him from contacting children.
“His continued desire to communicate sexually with children, for his own sexual gratification and his disregard for the law, make him extremely dangerous.
“Thankfully no actual children were harmed by Waring’s offending in this case.
“I am pleased to see that the judge acknowledged the seriousness of Waring’s reoffending by affording him an extended prison sentence for the risk he poses to the public.”
Arrest and sentencing
Waring was arrested on April 22 and later pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity; attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child; attempting to cause a child aged 13-15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity; and breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
He was handed a jail term of eight years and three months, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and is required to register with police indefinitely.
