September 2013
Online sex offender, 51, snared in undercover operation
UNDERCOVER police have caught a pervert for committing a sexual offence by posing as a 14-year-old schoolgirl during online “chats”.
Neil Barrett, 51, of Grindcobble Road, Rugeley, last week pleaded guilty at Stafford Crown Court to attempting to incite a child in sexual activity after committing the offence in 2008.
The undercover officer created a profile under the pseudonym “Shelly” and had several online conversations with Barrett.
The offender initially claimed he thought he was exchanging consensual explicit role play with an adult man.
But evidence showed “Shelly’s” profile depicted a child and, among the sexually explicit language he used, Barrett made constant references to her being a schoolgirl.
He used his laptop to try to persuade the undercover officer to commit sexual acts.
Celia Thorpe, reviewing lawyer for CPS Staffordshire said: “Fortunately, in this case, there was no victim because “Shelly” did not exist but Barrett’s behaviour indicates that he was prepared to exploit a child.
“Staffordshire Police has worked closely with their undercover colleagues in London and with Staffordshire CPS to bring Barrett to justice.
“There may be a misconception that one cannot be prosecuted if one never actually intends to meet up with a child I hope this conviction serves as a reminder to anyone who involves themselves in any such on line activity that it is illegal to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity even from a remote location.
“We will be applying to the court to make a Sexual Offences Prevention Order to limit any future opportunities that may arise for the defendant to commit sexual offences.” DC Ian McDonack from Staffordshire police said: “Social networks such as Facebook, MSN and other chatrooms are policed regularly by Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre undercover officers.
“Anywhere the predators will go to find children, CEOP officers will follow and actively target them.
“Any individual who thinks that they can carry out this type of crime undetected in the belief that the internet provides them with anonymity is in for a very rude awakening.
“As predators become increasingly sophisticated in their use of the internet for exploiting young people, so do the techniques we use to detect them. For Barrett this has already proved to be a costly misconception.” Barrett is to be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on a date yet to be announced.
