Lancaster paedophile was arrested trying to meet girl at Morecambe train station after vile web chats

By Stef Hall
Published 25th Jun 2021, 15:45 BST
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A paedophile has been caught out for a second time by undercover people posing online as children.

Richard James Altham, 29, of Greenset Close, Lancaster, previously abused two very young girls as a youth.

Then, in December 2018, he was given a 10 year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) controlling his access to children and to the internet after being stung by a group of "paedophile hunters" called Fleetwood Enforcers.

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Despite the strict terms, earlier this year, an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl was approached by Altham after creating a profile and chat thread on Kik Messenger - a notorious app that allows users to preserve anonymity by allowing them to register without personal details such as a mobile number.

Altham was previously stung by a group called Fleetwood EnforcersAltham was previously stung by a group called Fleetwood Enforcers
Altham was previously stung by a group called Fleetwood Enforcers

Prosecuting, Simon Blakeborough said the conversation moved onto Skype, where Altham was told she was 13.

He said: "The defendant has a number of previous convictions which are of concern.

"An undercover officer created an online profile posing as a 13-year-old girl on the Kik messenger service.

"The undercover officer opened a thread with the defendant.