Andover man who drove hundreds of miles to meet girl, 14, for sex is jailed.

Andover Man Jailed for Attempting to Meet 14-Year-Old Girl for Sex

An Andover man who drove hundreds of miles to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, only to be caught by a paedophile hunters group, has been jailed.

Ian Mace, 51, travelled 400 miles to Scotland earlier this year, believing he was going to meet a teenager he had been speaking to online.

Mace had sent thousands of messages to 'Kelly' on WhatsApp and the app Highfive over the course of a month. However, when he arrived at the destination, 'Kelly' was not there.

The girl he thought he was talking to was actually an adult from a group called 'Rising Against Online Predators', which describes itself as a "team who endeavour to take as many people who sexually exploit children online off the streets to make it a better place for children to grow up."

At a previous appearance at Hamilton Sheriff Court, Mace admitted communicating indecently with 'Kelly' and attempting to meet with her between February and March 2018.

On August 21, Mace was sentenced to 30 months in prison. A statement released on behalf of Hamilton Sheriff Court read:

"The court having seen and considered the reports and having heard from Counsel in respect that no other method of disposal is deemed appropriate sentenced the accused to six months imprisonment from this date on charge 1.

"The court sentenced the accused to 24 months imprisonment on charge 3, said period to be consecutive to the period imposed on charge 1.

"Total period of imprisonment 30 months from this date."

Mace was also placed on the sex offenders' register. He was present at sentencing.