A mother from Shropshire offered her baby daughter to a paedophile for sexual abuse after meeting him on an online dating site, a court has heard.
Online meeting and sexual attraction to children
The woman, who cannot be named to protect her child's identity, met Christopher Brownhill online. Their conversations quickly turned to their mutual sexual attraction to young children, police said.
She sent Brownhill non-sexual pictures of her daughter, who was aged one at the time. They then agreed to meet in person, with the woman promising to bring her daughter along.
Plans for abuse
Brownhill continued to talk to the woman online, telling her what he planned to do to her daughter if they ever met. The pair never actually met, and Brownhill never encountered the child.
A police investigation was launched after a tip-off. Both were arrested two years after their initial contact and charged with arranging or facilitating a child sex offence. They were found guilty following a two-week trial.
Further offences
The court also heard that Brownhill had communicated with another woman online about their mutual sexual attraction to young children. They discussed arranging a meeting so Brownhill could abuse the woman's one-year-old twin nieces.
Brownhill, 38, of Linley View Drive in Bridgnorth, was jailed for 11 years. The mother received a six-year custodial sentence at Shrewsbury Crown Court on June 12. The child no longer has any contact with her mother.
Police comment
An officer from West Mercia Police said: 'This case concerns extremely serious offences involving the exploitation of a child, and both defendants demonstrated a clear intent to facilitate harm. While no in-person meeting took place, the planning and communication were deeply disturbing. Protecting children is our absolute priority, and we will relentlessly pursue those who seek to abuse or exploit them.'
