A Cumbrian convicted sex offender from Kendal has been jailed after attempting to groom a girl he believed was 13, using a hidden phone concealed in a laundry basket to evade police monitoring.

On June 4 2025, police received a report Kirk Gibson, 37, from Kendal, had been attempting sexual communication with a child.

Cumbria Police said he was attempting to engage in sexual communication with the decoy which was a 13-year-old girl.

Gibson was arrested on June 4 and a search carried out at his home address.

A phone was located in a laundry basket.

This device was not registered with the police and breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) requirements.

The device was seized and conversations found between Gibson’s alias and the decoy.

On Monday, August 4, Gibson was jailed for eight years for attempted sexual communication with a child.

He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order; he also has notification requirements to police and remains on the sex offenders register.

A spokesperson for Cumbria’s Management of Sexual & Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team said: “Gibson was aware of the conditions of his sexual harm prevention order, which he disregarded by communicating with a child and concealing devices in order to do so.

“Gibson poses a risk to children and we would like to reassure the community that we will continue working hard to identify any further offending by Registered Sex Offenders in the community, and bring those engaging in this criminality to justice.

“Cumbria’s MOSOVO team are committed to managing sexual offenders and will take a zero-tolerance approach against anyone found to breach the terms of these preventative orders.”