Nottingham Predator Receives Extended Prison Sentence for Stalking Campaign
A dangerous predator from Nottingham has been jailed after conducting a months-long stalking campaign against a young boy, which included attempting to secure employment at the child's school and fraudulently trying to book a viewing at the family's home. Shane York, aged 32 and formerly of Squires Avenue in Bulwell, was described as "dangerous" by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court during sentencing on Monday, March 2, 2026.
Systematic Stalking and Deceptive Tactics
York's fixation on the boy began with routine following from school, photographing the child, and maintaining detailed logs of sightings on his phone. His actions escalated significantly when he discovered the family had listed their home for sale. In a manipulative scheme, York wrote two letters to estate agents pretending to be from the family, ordering them to cancel the sale, remove the property from the market, and cease all contact.
He also made multiple attempts to arrange a viewing of the home under false pretenses. When the letters were shown to the actual homeowners, York was quickly identified as the perpetrator. Additionally, his efforts to obtain a job at the boy's school were unsuccessful, further exposing his stalking campaign.
Investigation Reveals Extensive Criminal History
All these events occurred between February and July of last year, leading to York's arrest. However, a thorough investigation uncovered the full extent of his depravity. Police searches of his home revealed a series of indecent photographs that York had taken himself, depicting different children from the boy he was stalking. This evidence confirmed he had sexually abused a young child on two separate occasions in 2023 and 2024.
Further examination of his electronic devices uncovered more than 1,700 indecent images and videos of children, along with prohibited pictures of children and extreme pornographic images involving animals. York pleaded guilty to ten separate charges, including two counts of sexual assault on a child, one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, and two counts of taking indecent photographs of children.
Sentencing and Police Response
The court handed York an extended prison sentence of nine years, with six years to be served in custody and the remaining three on licence. He was also made subject to restraining orders, prohibiting contact with his victims, and a sexual harm prevention order was granted indefinitely.
Detective Constable Stacey Lamb of Nottinghamshire Police stated, "Shane York developed a dangerous infatuation with a child and spent several months stalking him in a range of deeply concerning ways. His stalking showed persistence and planning, while his behaviour was highly manipulative."
She emphasized that York's actions caused significant distress to his victims and highlighted the importance of the young victim's bravery in coming forward, which helped prevent further escalation of the offending. The police expressed satisfaction that the sentence reflected the serious nature of his crimes, underscoring the clear danger he posed to children.
