A Church of England vicar has admitted sending indecent images of himself to an undercover police officer who was posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Rev Ben Lovell, vicar of St Mary’s Hampton, appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on 13 October and pleaded guilty to two criminal offences relating to attempted online communication with a minor, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

A statement from the Diocese of London said the offences don’t relate to his role at St Mary’s, any other role, or his family.

The court heard that the 44-year-old, who is married with two children, had engaged via social media in sexual conversation with an undercover investigator who was posing as a child. He also sent indecent images of himself to the decoy.

Lovell admitted sending indecent images of himself to a person under 16 and causing a child under 16 to look at a photo of sexual activity.

After his arrest last year, he was suspended from ministry and stepped back from his other responsibilities.

The Diocese of London said safeguarding and risk management measures were also “put in place to protect the parish community and to ensure that children, young people and vulnerable adults remained safe”.

Ross Davis for the prosecution said Lovell, who was granted bail, was likely to receive a sentence of between 18 months and two years in prison. He’s due to appear for a pre-sentence hearing at Kingston Crown Court in November.

Lovell is a former director of the independent Hampton School and a member of the board of the Instanter Learning Trust. He was ordained vicar in 2017 and led the parish’s first baptisms in the River Thames the following year. He became Area Dean of Hampton in 2023.

The Diocese of London said it encourages “anyone who has been a victim or survivor of any crime, including sexual offending or abuse, to come forward in the knowledge that they will be listened to, treated with respect, and taken seriously”.