Travelled with the intention of sexually abusing a child.

Man Jailed for Child Sex Offence in Chippenham

Mark Pegram, 65, was sentenced to 48 months in prison at Swindon Crown Court today after pleading guilty to the commission of a child sex offence and possessing indecent images of a child.

Pegram, of Chase Side Avenue in Enfield, London, engaged in explicit online conversations with an undercover officer posing as a woman with a nine-year-old daughter. He arranged a meeting believing he would be able to sexually abuse the child.

Despite initially denying any intention to carry out sexual acts, Pegram later changed his plea to guilty.

In addition to the prison sentence, Pegram was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable Kerry Foster of Wiltshire Police described the case as "extremely distressing" due to the graphic nature of the messages and recordings related to Pegram's planned abuse.

Wiltshire Police's Child Internet Exploitation Team collaborates with other agencies to minimize the risk to children who may be vulnerable to harm.

Detective Inspector David Wells from the Online Investigations Team at South West Regional Organised Crime Unit highlighted the importance of identifying offenders who use the internet to groom children.

"It is our priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities," he said, encouraging anyone concerned about child exploitation to report it to the police.