A man from Scarborough, Ian Horsman, has been punished after admitting to two charges of sexual communication with minors aged 14 and 12.
Ian Horsman, 62, of Eastway, Eastfield, appeared at York Crown Court on Monday, 24 March 2025, where he received a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was told to pay £150 in court costs and a £187 surcharge.
Ian Horsman was registered as a Sex Offender and subjected to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
On 10 February 2025, he entered a guilty plea to two charges of sexual communication with a child at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court.
The evidence was supplied by an Online Child Activist Group (OCAG) that encountered Ian Horsman on Dunslow Road, Eastfield, on the morning of 16 September 2023.
He had, in fact, been conversing online with OCAG ‘decoys’—adults impersonating children—on 2 September and again on 16 September 2023.
Law enforcement was summoned to the location, and the OCAG transferred the evidence to the cops.
Ian Horsman was apprehended and subsequently indicted.
Detective Sergeant Matthew Edwards of Scarborough & Ryedale CID stated: “Although the offences in this case were perpetrated against fictitious profiles rather than actual children, the evidence indicated that Horsman exhibited a significant degree of sexual grooming and persistence towards individuals he believed to be girls aged 14 and 12.”
“This is deeply concerning behaviour and North Yorkshire Police will relentlessly pursue such offenders who pose a serious risk to children.”
Reporting suspected crimes involving indecent images of children and online sexual abuse
- Please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101. If you are in immediate danger, always dial 999 for an emergency response
- Child Exploitation Online Protection command (CEOP) – www.ceop.police.uk
- Internet Watch Foundation – www.iwf.org.uk – report suspected abuse of children online
- Stop It Now! helpline 0808 1000 900 – www.stopitnow.org.uk – seek anonymous and confidential help if you or someone you know could be a sexual risk to children
- Victims who would prefer not to go direct to the police and are not in immediate danger, can contact North Yorkshire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), on 0330 223 0362
- You can also contact the Supporting Victims Unit direct at www.supportingvictims.org or call 01609 643100
- NSPCC Helplines: Help for adults concerned about a child – call 0808 800 5000; Help for children and young people – call Childline on 0800 1111; Go to www.nspcc.org.uk
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.