Worthing paedophile back in court

Ian Anthony Jones, 44, of Rowlands Road, Worthing, was one of a four-strong paedophile ring jailed at Hove Crown Court in May last year over child sex-crimes which were uncovered by the police sting.

Jones, who was jailed for life after admitting six charges '” including conspiracy to sexually assault and attempting to lure a child into sexual activity '” was prosecuted after a journalist spotted graffiti which said "girls 8 - 13 wanted for sex", while travelling home to Brighton.

There was a mobile phone number alongside it and the journalist texted the number, posing as an 11-year old girl, and received a reply.

She then reported the graffiti to police, who traced the mobile number to one of the gangleaders of the group by sending text messages posing as a 12-year-old girl called Amy.

Jones was arrested after arranging to meet "Amy" at a Burger King restaurant in Brighton.

Jones, who has a previous conviction for attempted rape, then led police to three other paedophiles as a result of searches at his flat.

Images were found on one of his camera phones which depicted girls aged between nine and 12 being raped.

One of the pictures showed a young girl being sexually abused by Jones and another man, Trevor Haddock, 55, of Worcester.

It emerged Haddock, Jones, and John Farmer, 69, from Pevensey, East Sussex, had conspired together, exchanging emails and telephone messages, as they cold-bloodedly plotted the girl's abuse.

She was effectively "hired out" by Haddock, who did not appeal, and, although Farmer never succeeded in abusing the girl, Lord Justice Thomas said it was clear from his messages that his intentions were depraved.

Farmer received an eight-year term after admitting having an indecent picture of a child and facilitating the commission of a sex crime. Haddock was jailed for life after admitting 14 offences, including rape.

A fourth man, Derek Moody, 43, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, was also jailed for life last year.

Jones challenged one of his convictions, the most serious count, carrying the life sentence, at the Appeal Court, claiming he had been "entrapped" by a woman police officer, who posed as "Amy" in order to bring him to justice.

However, dismissing his appeal, Lord Justice Thomas said: "The police officer's response to the invitation in the graffiti by pretending to be a child was a necessary pretence to that end.

"The pretence did not go beyond the necessary opportunity for Jones to attempt to commit the offence by inciting a person whom he believed to be under the age of 13 to engage in penetrative sex.

"The police officer's replies thereafter to the text messages were entirely acceptable in a undercover operation of this kind.This was not a case of abuse of state power which would deny Jones a fair trial."

Other grounds of appeal put forward by Jones were also dismissed.