Lance Pledger: Darwin sex offender jailed for sending dick pics to cop posing as teen girl

A serial Darwin sex offender who previously raped a developmentally disabled child is back behind bars after he downloaded an app in contravention of a supervision order and tried to procure a child for sex.

Lance Pledger downloaded Snapchat in contravention of his supervision order, and sent an undercover cop posing as a 13-year-old girl pictures of his genitalia. Picture: Istock

A serial Darwin sex offender who previously raped a developmentally disabled child is back behind bars after he downloaded an app in contravention of a supervision order and tried to procure a child – actually an undercover cop – for sex.

Lance Pledger, aged 28 at the time of the offence, appeared in the Supreme Court at Darwin last month after previously pleading guilty to using a carriage service to procure a person under the age of 16 years to engage in sexual activity.

The offence occurred between February 27–March 1 this year.

At the time of the offence, Pledger was both a reportable offender under the child protection reporting legislation and subject to a supervision order under the Serious Sex Offenders Act 2013, a condition of which was that he maintain no social media accounts.

The court heard police received information on February 26 Pledger was in breach and the following day, an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl initiated a conversation, during which Pledger sent seven photographs of his penis, told her he loved her, sent pornography, and repeatedly requested to meet up.

A meeting was arranged for March 1.

Lance Pledger is no stranger to the Supreme Court at Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Pledger asked the girl for photographic proof she was alone and asked her to take the bus to ensure no-one knew they had met up.

He was arrested and his phone analysed, which revealed a plethora of social media apps he shouldn’t have been on.

Pledger was remanded in pre-sentence custody after his arrest.

Chief Justice Michael Grant said the attempts to procure the person he thought was a 13-year-old girl was “explicit, repeated, persistent, [and] predatory in nature”.

It was not the first time Pledger had turned his sick attention towards children, with the court hearing he had an appalling history.

In 2015, he was sentenced to a minimum of five years and eight months’ imprisonment for sexual intercourse without consent, sexual intercourse with a child under 16, maintaining a sexual relationship with a child and nine counts of attempting to procure a child under the age of 16 for sex.

He was paroled in July 2020 but it was revoked the following March after Pledger was busted trying to contact children online.

Chief Justice Michael Grant QC. Photo: EMMA MURRAY.

And last year, Pledger was fined in the Local Court of the Northern Territory for again attempting to contact children.

Chief Justice Michael Grant told the court the defendant, who worked as a labourer and landscaper in the family business under the direction of his supportive parents, had a normal upbringing.

However, a psychiatric assessment report had assessed him as satisfying the diagnostic criteria for hebephilia, which is “sexual interest in underage, albeit sexually mature, teenagers,” Chief Justice Grant said.

“Your prospects of rehabilitation must be assessed as very limited,” the judge said.

“You are a high risk of future offending of this type without some form of suppression of your sexual drive through antilibidinal medication.

“The assessment for and the prescription of medication of that type is a long and difficult process.”

Pledger was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment.

He will be eligible for parole in February 2026.