James Pidgeon

Age: 58

Town: Devon

Convicted: 04/10/2023

Arranged to sexually abuse a child.

Devon Man Jailed for Child Sex Offences

A 57-year-old Devon man, James Pidgeon, has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for arranging to sexually abuse a child.

Pidgeon, of Crest Hill, Buckfastleigh, pleaded guilty to arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, distributing indecent photographs of children, and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) at an earlier hearing.

The court heard that Pidgeon, a registered sex offender with prior convictions for possession and making indecent images of children, was already subject to an SHPO. Despite the prevention order, he continued to commit online offences relating to children.

A sting operation by the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) revealed that Pidgeon was engaged in online conversations with someone he believed had access to a child. The person was actually a NEROCU police officer.

Transcripts of their online conversations showed that Pidgeon had bragged about being a paedophile for over 30 years and had sent multiple indecent images and videos of children being sexually abused, some of which featured babies. He expressed his desire to rape children, specifically female toddlers, and stated that the purpose of their meeting was for him to gain access to a child that he could rape.

They arranged to meet on Torquay seafront, where officers arrested Pidgeon. He was remanded into custody in July and charged with arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, distribution of indecent images of children, and breach of a sexual harm prevention order.

Investigating Officer Detective Constable Sophie House stated: "Despite being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, this did not deter Pidgeon from continuing to commit online offences relating to children."

James Pidgeon's photo

Offender ID: James-Pidgeon-04102023

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