LONDON — A 25-year-old Nigerian student residing in the United Kingdom, Anderson Ishiekwene, has been sentenced to three years behind bars following a conviction for online child grooming and attempted sexual meetings.
Ishiekwene, who arrived in the UK on a student visa in August 2025 and settled in Sunderland, was apprehended by law enforcement in Washington, England. His arrest followed a sting operation conducted by an online paedophile hunter group that intercepted his communications with a decoy profile posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Newcastle Crown Court proceedings revealed that the interaction began on January 2 on Facebook before transitioning to WhatsApp. Over an eight-day span, the defendant exchanged more than 300 pages of text messages with the decoy, ignoring repeated warnings that the individual was a minor. Court documents indicate he solicited explicit photographs, transmitted an image of his naked groin, and inquired about the minor’s school routine and physical appearance.
When the decoy declined to share explicit images, Ishiekwene complained that the refusal was unfair and argued that such exchanges were standard behavior for romantic relationships. The digital exchanges culminated in an arrangement to rendezvous at the Galleries shopping centre in Washington on January 10 for physical contact.
Upon arriving at the designated venue, Ishiekwene was intercepted by members of the paedophile hunter organization prior to police intervention. Although he contested charges of traveling with intent to meet a child for sexual purposes, a jury returned a guilty verdict following a three-day trial. He had previously entered a guilty plea regarding the charge of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a minor.
Judge Robert Spragg, presiding over the sentencing, characterized the intended meeting as a precursor to future sexual exploitation, noting that the probation assessment highlighted a clear attraction to children.
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In addition to the three-year custodial sentence, the court mandated that Ishiekwene register as a sex offender and adhere indefinitely to the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Legal authorities confirmed that he faces automatic deportation upon the completion of his prison term.