MAP Forum

A respected church treasurer was caught attempting to have an online “sex chat” with a young girl in a sting operation carried out by his daughter. To the outside world Stephen Lo appeared a loving family man and devout churchgoer, who was trusted to look after the finances of St Thomas and St Oswald’s Church, in Sunderland.

But in a shocking breach of trust, the 54-year-old helped himself to more than £7,500 belonging to the church in a blank cheques scam. However, the theft proved only the tip of the iceberg as he was snared as a paedophile by his university student daughter having sordid chats with what he believed was a child aged just eight. Lo even sent a naked photograph as he encouraged the girl he believed he was chatting to, to do the same.