Student caught trying to meet girl, 14, for sex

An international student who was caught by online paedophile hunters trying to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex has been jailed for three years.

Anderson Ishiekwene, a 25-year-old Nigerian national, was arrested in Washington eight days after starting a sexual conversation with a decoy profile online, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He had exchanged more than 300 pages of messages with the decoy run by the paedophile hunter group, including multiple requests for the "girl" to delete his messages.

Ishiekwene admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and was found guilty of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

He arrived in the UK from Nigeria on a student visa in August 2025 and settled in Sunderland, the court heard.

On 2 January, he messaged the profile of a 14-year-old girl on Facebook, with the pair moving to WhatsApp to message further, prosecutor Cole Cockburn said.

Ishiekwene was repeatedly told the girl he thought he was messaging was 14, the court heard.

Over the following days he asked her about school and her uniform, as well as intimate questions about her body.

He asked for pictures of her and sent her an image of his naked groin, the court heard, but also throughout their interaction made repeated requests for her to delete his messages, jurors were told.

When she refused to send him pictures, he would say it was "unfair" and told her it was a "normal thing for people to do in a relationship", Cockburn said.

They agreed to meet at the Galleries in Washington on 10 January, with him saying he wanted to kiss and sexually touch her like "lovers", but when he got off the bus he was met by members of the paedophile hunting group and police were called to arrest him, the court heard.

Ishiekwene denied going to meet the "girl" for sexual reasons but was found guilty after a three-day trial.

Judge Robert Spragg said the sexual activity Ishiekwene planned for 10 January was a "precursor" to an intention for full sex on a future occasion.

He said in the view of the probation service there was "little doubt" Ishiekwene was "attracted to children".

Upon his release from prison, Ishiekwene would most likely be subject to automatic deportation, the judge said.

Ishiekwene was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.