A MAN has been jailed for three years after admitting a series of online child sex offences.

Christopher Croucher, aged 36, was sentenced at York Crown Court on Tuesday (August 4) after pleading guilty to 14 counts of causing a girl aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity, five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to meet a girl aged under 16 after grooming.

A court heard how the offending occurred between April and July 2018. There were no actual victims in this case, but Croucher, from North Marine Road, Scarborough, had been interacting with adults who he thought were underage girls.

As well as imprisonment, Croucher was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Detective Sergeant Lee Allenby, of North Yorkshire Police’s Online Abuse & Exploitation Team, said: “This is an excellent outcome to the investigation and it is very satisfying that another high-risk offender has been sent to prison where he cannot cause harm.

“Even when he is released, he will have to abide by very stringent measures for the rest of his days.”