Former Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer Geoffrey Rooney, 46, was jailed for 14 years in 2015 for a series of sickening sexual offences against children
(Picture: PA)An “evil” paedophile has been jailed again after reoffending within months of his release from prison.
Former Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer Geoffrey Rooney, 46, was jailed for 14 years in 2015 for a series of sickening sexual offences against children, including babies.
He was released from prison in January 2021 after serving half that sentence, but Bradford Crown Court heard how he was caught in a police sting operation later that year.
A judge described how the former senior NCO engaged in “disgusting” online chats with two undercover police officers during which he arranged to engage in sexual activity with their fictional children and sent them vile photographs and videos of abuse.
On Friday, Judge David Hatton QC jailed Rooney for eight years with an extended licence of six years due to the danger he poses, especially to small children.
The court heard he has already been recalled to serve the full 14 years sentence for his previous offending, imposed by Plymouth Crown Court in 2015.
Judge Hatton said the images sent to the officers by Rooney were “grotesque and defy description”.
The mother of two of his original victims was in court to hear Rooney being jailed again.
Speaking outside court, she said the law should be changed to make sure repeat offenders are jailed for life and she described Friday’s sentence as “absolutely outrageous”.
The woman said: “I’d like him to have a life sentence because he’s such a danger to the public. I think he should never come out of prison again.”
She said: “This allows him to be out at some point which I think is terrifying.”
The mother, who cannot be identified, said: “He’s not learnt anything from his time inside.
“He’s not rehabilitated. He’s just come out and done exactly what he wanted to do, which is to abuse other children.”
The woman said her family has been “devastated” by what Rooney did to her children and “the deep-rooted pain and suffering we experienced at the hands of that evil man”.
Rooney, of Bradford, has previous admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order as well as charges relating to sending indecent images of children.
The defendant lived in Plymouth when his original offences were committed but moved to Bradford after he was released from prison last year.
He was arrested following a joint operation involving West Yorkshire Police and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Woodhead, head of safeguarding at Bradford Police, said: “Rooney is a dangerous sexual predator who went to extreme lengths in order to try and conceal his activities and intentions to cause serious harm to children.
“This case was very distressing and this type of abuse was the worst that the team had ever seen.”
