A Swindon sex offender who posed as a 15-year-old girl online in a bid to target teenage boys has been jailed for four years. Paul Webb, 28, formerly of Avonmead, Hayden Wick, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday, 22 July, after admitting a series of child sex offences. Webb pleaded guilty to four counts of attempting to cause or incite a boy aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of attempting to cause a child aged between 13 and 15 to look at an image of sexual activity. In addition to his four-year prison sentence, Webb was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and will be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) upon his release. Online investigation uncovered offending The case followed an investigation by Wiltshire Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), formerly known as the Child Internet Exploitation Team. Officers discovered Webb had been posing as a teenage girl online while repeatedly attempting to engage teenage boys in sexually explicit conversations. Following the investigation, he was charged with the offences and remanded into custody ahead of his court appearance. ‘Dangerous individual’ Detective Constable Sadie McCoy, from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said: “Webb is undoubtedly a dangerous individual whose behaviour poses a real risk to children.
“I’m pleased the court has recognised the severity of his offending and has put him behind bars. “He will also be subject to a SHPO, which places a number of conditions and requirements on him for when he is released from prison.
“Our team works to prevent offenders like Webb from exploiting and abusing children and I hope this case sends a strong message to our communities that we are committed to targeting offenders like Webb who have the potential to cause serious and significant harm.” Wiltshire Police said the investigation highlights the force’s ongoing commitment to identifying and prosecuting offenders who seek to exploit children online.
Originally published by UKNIP.
