A convicted paedophile who travelled more than 150 miles to meet a child for sex will now be spending his days behind bars after a specialist partnership operation.
Mark Stephens travelled to Wallsend, in North Tyneside, from his home in Blackpool to meet a 10-year-old girl and her mother, who he believed he had been chatting to online.
However, what he didn’t know, was that he had actually been speaking with a police officer as part of a wider investigation.
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Stephens sent countless messages stating his vile intentions with the child and also offered £400 to spend the night with them and record their time together.
Officers from Northumbria Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) launched an investigation and worked with Lancashire Police worked and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NE ROCU) to target Stephens and bring him into custody.
On April 12 last year, the 67-year-old travelled to Silverlink retail park – but was met by police and arrested.
A search of his vehicle recovered quantities of Viagra and a gift for a child.
During the course of the investigation it also came to light that Stephens was being looked into by another force after unknowingly sending explicit messages to an officer, as part of another investigation, the day before travelling to North Shields.
He was subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence, attempting to meet a girl under 16 with the intention of engaging in sexual activity, and three counts of making indecent images.
The following day, Stephens, of Shannon Street, Blackpool, appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to all charges.
Additional charges were later brought and Stephens was later convicted of attempting sexual communication with a child and attempted breach of a sexual harm prevention order.
On March 30 he was jailed for eight years at Newcastle Crown Court and given an additional six years on extended licence, a deprivation order was also made by the court for the car that he used to travel to Newcastle.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Rob Smoult from POLIT said: “This is a great result which reinforces our commitment to protecting children from predators like Stephens.
“He made his vile intentions very clear and the overwhelming evidence collated by the team ensured a swift charge and left him with no other option but to plead guilty at court.
“Stephens set out on a long journey across the country to meet a girl he knew was underage and thanks to a thorough operation by ourselves and our partners, we have placed a dangerous offender before the courts, and prevented him from harming any children.
“We will continue to work with our partners to tackle online child abuse and sexual exploitation and would urge anyone who has been a victim of this type of offending, or has concerns about someone’s behaviour, to come forward and talk to us.”
If you have any information or concerns that a child is at risk you can report online using the ‘Tell Us Something’ page on our website, or by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
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