A 23-year-old man from St Annes, Lancashire, has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison after being caught in an undercover police operation targeting child grooming.
Bartosz Zaczek believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl, sending sexually explicit messages and photographs over a month. He also encouraged the supposed recipient to bring her '12-year-old cousin' to a meeting.
Preston Crown Court heard that in June, Zaczek told his boss he was running an errand but instead travelled to Blackburn to meet the recipient, who was actually an undercover police officer. He was arrested upon arrival.
Detective Constable Nicola Long of Lancashire Police said: 'The chat transcript makes for some distressing and disturbing reading so I am satisfied with the sentence Zaczek has been given, which reflects the danger he presents to teenage girls.'
Zaczek pleaded guilty to attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, ordered to sign the sex offenders register, and his phone will be destroyed.
Det Con Long added: 'The public may not see the undercover work that goes on, but it is always going on. If anybody has concerns about an individual, I would always encourage them to contact the police in the first instance.'
