Yesterday, Tuesday 25th June, a 48 year old man from the Lisburn area was sentenced at Craigavon Crown Court for attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

William Alastair Hall was sentenced to eight months in prison.  He will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for five years.

Detective Inspector Vasey said: “Hall believed he was communicating with of a 12 year old girl, however, he had actually been communicating with an undercover police officer.

“I want to send a strong message today that my team are working around the clock to identify and bring people before the courts who think their online offending can go undetected.

“It is our absolute priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities and we will continue to proactively target those who contribute to the cycle of child abuse. I would encourage anyone with concerns or information to get in contact us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.    A report can also be made using the online reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport.

"We will act on the information we receive.”