Parents warned on chatroom dangers

Thursday, 9 October 2003 12:00 AM

John Carr of the Internet Watch Foundation has issued a stark warning to parents to take more notice of their children's internet activities following the jailing for a man described as the world's most prolific internet paedophile.

Kingston Crown Court jailed Douglas Lindsell today for five years after he pleaded guilty to the attempted abduction of a young girl.

Lindsell was also found guilty of grooming 73 young girls for attempted abuse.

Police say that he kept a handwritten folder of the intimate details of each girl, including such information as colouring, the school attended and any previous sexual experiences.

Child protection expert John Carr said that parents should not allow children to spend long periods of time in chat rooms unsupervised.

'These risks exist. Don't let your children go into these places unless you are confident that they know how to handle themselves,' he told ITV.

Lindsell has been placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Tags: