Bradford man Lee Burke jailed for four offences including attempting to incite a girl into sexual activity

Lee Burke, 41, was given a nine-year prison sentence, of which three years will be on licence, at Bradford Crown Court yesterday (December 22). He had been in contact with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl via a dating app, but he was instead talking to an adult who had set up a fake profile on the app and reported Burke’s activity to the police.

The man from Bradford, whose real name is Lee Terry, was arrested and subsequently charged with a total of four offences, including attempt to engage in sexual communications with a child and attempting to incite a girl into sexual activity. He had pleaded guilty to the offences in January 2022 but a jury found him guilty of all four following a trial in October. He has also been given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

In a statement released by West Yorkshire Police, Detective Constable Katie Rothery of Bradford's Policing Online Investigations Team said Burke showed “clear sexual intent towards what he thought was a juvenile”. DC Rothery said: “We welcome Burke’s sentencing today. He showed clear sexual intent towards what he thought was a juvenile which included sending sexual images to that person.

“His behaviour clearly demonstrates a risk to children, and it is quite right that he has been given a custodial sentence for his actions. We will continue in our commitment to bring offenders like Burke to justice.”