Southampton man jailed for two years after being convicted of child sex offences

A Southampton man has been jailed for two years for child sex offences.

Calum Lacey, 33, of Station Road, Southampton, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday 19 January for sentencing.

He previously pleaded guilty to intentionally communicating with and encouraging a person under 16 to send sexual messages.

This related to messages he was sending a teenage girl via the auto-delete sites Telegram and Wickr, with Discord being utilised for video-chatting between 1 October 2020 and 31 March 2021.

He also pleaded guilty to intentionally causing or inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

This took place through online conversations with another teenage girl between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2020.

Since these incidents were reported to us the victims have been supported by specialist officers.

Lacey was arrested in March 2021 and was charged on November 1 last year.

He was sentenced to two years in prison and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order with conditions was placed on him for five years, meaning if he breaks these conditions he will be committing a further offence.

He will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Acting DS Heather Tack from the Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “Lacey was in a privileged position of trust as a teacher in the Alton area, yet he encouraged teenage girls to send him sexual messages online.

“These two girls have been so brave throughout the investigation and court process and now Lacey is behind bars, hopefully they can get some form of closure.

“We take all forms of child abuse incredibly seriously and I hope this result shows the effort the Child Abuse Investigation Team puts into making sure children in our community are safe from sexual predators.”

If you are or have been a victim of child abuse, or know someone who is, contact us on 101 or report online via our website. We take all reports seriously and you will be listened to.

For more information on keeping children safe online, visit our website on https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/caa/child-abuse/online-child-abuse/ or the Lucy Faithfull Foundation charity on https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/