A paedophile who believed he was communicating with a 12-year-old girl made sexual advances towards her during their conversation and arranged to meet her. But he was actually speaking to an undercover police officer and was arrested when he tried to meet the fictitious child.
Mathew Jones, 33, of Newport, was arrested in March this year after engaging in a conversation with the decoy online. Despite believing it to be a young girl he began bringing up sexual topics and quickly arranged to meet with her.
He was met by officers from regional organised crime unit Tarian when he attempted to meet the decoy. The defendant, of Livale Close, Bettws, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communications with a child and arranging to meet a child following sexual grooming. Jones was sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment at Cardiff Crown Court.
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Following the hearing detective inspector Mathew Davies, of Tarian, said: "This is another notable result for us and South Wales Police in removing a dangerous individual from preying on vulnerable children. Until he was caught Jones was a respected member of the community in Newport. By working closely with South Wales Police we were able to identify and promptly detain Jones to prevent him for committing further offences.
“Safeguarding children within our communities is incredibly important and working closely with all south Wales forces we will continue to target those offenders looking to exploit children. We will tirelessly seek to bring those offenders who continue to use the internet to facilitate the abuse of children to justice.
“If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse we urge you to report it to your local police force via 101. We will always follow up allegations of abuse no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help them get access to a range of other support services.
“If you have concerns about your use of the internet or inappropriate thoughts or behaviour about children or if you are worried about how someone you know behaves around children or are worried about their use of the internet then the Lucy Faithfull Foundation provide a free, anonymous, and confidential Stop It Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900 for advice, support, and information.”
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