UK Court Jails Nigerian Student for Child Sex Grooming Attempt, Orders Lifetime Restrictions

• Nigerian student Anderson Ishiekwene has been sentenced to three years in prison by a UK court after being convicted of attempting to meet a child following online sexual grooming.

• The 25-year-old, who arrived in the United Kingdom on a student visa in 2025, was arrested after travelling to a planned meeting with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl but who was actually a decoy operated by an online child protection group.

• The court heard that Ishiekwene continued online communication despite being informed of the person’s stated age, leading prosecutors to argue that the exchanges demonstrated an intention to commit a sexual offence.

• In addition to his prison sentence, the court imposed indefinite restrictions, including placement on the UK Sex Offenders Register, while the judge said he was likely to face deportation after completing his sentence.

A 25-year-old Nigerian student in the United Kingdom, Anderson Ishiekwene, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after a court found him guilty of attempting to meet a child following online sexual grooming.

Ishiekwene, who entered the UK on a student visa in August 2025 and settled in Sunderland, was convicted by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court after a three-day trial.

The court also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered him to register as a sex offender. Judge Robert Spragg further indicated that Ishiekwene would likely face automatic deportation from the UK after serving his prison sentence.

According to the BBC, Ishiekwene was arrested in Washington, England, after he travelled to meet a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

The individual was, however, a decoy operated by an online paedophile-hunting group that had been monitoring suspected approaches to minors online.

The court heard that Ishiekwene began communicating with the profile on Facebook on January 2 before moving the conversation to WhatsApp.

Prosecutors told the court that the exchanges continued for about eight days, during which Ishiekwene was repeatedly informed that the person he was communicating with was 14 years old.

The prosecution presented evidence from the online conversations, alleging that Ishiekwene engaged in inappropriate discussions and attempted to develop a sexual relationship with the person he believed to be a child.

The court heard that he asked questions about the individual’s school, school uniform and personal details, while prosecutors also alleged that he requested explicit images and sent an inappropriate image of himself.

He was further accused of repeatedly asking for the conversations to be deleted.

Prosecutors told the court that when the person refused to share explicit photographs, Ishiekwene complained that it was unfair and suggested that exchanging such images was normal within relationships.

The court heard that the conversations eventually led to an agreement for Ishiekwene and the supposed teenager to meet at the Galleries shopping centre in Washington on January 10.

Prosecutors said Ishiekwene had expressed intentions to engage in sexual contact during their communications before the planned meeting.

However, when he arrived at the agreed location, he was confronted by members of the online child protection group before police officers arrested him.

Ishiekwene denied travelling to meet a child for sexual purposes. However, after considering the evidence presented during the trial, the jury found him guilty of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

He had earlier admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Judge Imposes Long-Term Restrictions

While delivering the sentence, Judge Robert Spragg described the offence as serious and said the planned sexual activity was a step towards further offending.

The judge also referred to an assessment by the probation service, which raised concerns about Ishiekwene’s behaviour and risk profile.

In addition to the three-year prison term, the court ordered Ishiekwene to remain on the UK Sex Offenders Register and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The order places continuing restrictions on his activities following his release from prison, particularly regarding conduct that could pose risks to children.

The court further noted that Ishiekwene was likely to face deportation after completing his sentence because of his immigration status and the seriousness of the conviction.

Under UK immigration rules, foreign nationals convicted of serious criminal offences can be subject to removal proceedings after serving custodial sentences.