Man Jailed for Attempted Child Sex Abuse

A man has been jailed after a court heard how he drove from his home in London to north Wales to have sex with a girl aged 13. But it turned out the girl did not exist and the teenager he was grooming was in fact a police officer.

The sting by North Wales Police was described as very professional and well organised at Mold Crown Court, where James Shand was jailed for 21 months.

Shand, who had no previous convictions, was placed on the sex register for ten years and a ten-year sexual harm prevention order was made to curb his future activities.

The court heard the defendant had booked a room at a hotel in Warrington and was on his way to pick up the girl at Rhyl when he was stopped and arrested by police on the A55.

The 30-year-old of Southbrook Road, London, admitted a charge of attempting to meet up with a girl under 16 in order to commit a sexual offence. When arrested he said "Ive f.... up big time."

Interviewed, he claimed he planned a day out and that while he had booked a double bed he said he did not intend any sexual contact. When it was revealed the girl did not exist but that he had been messaging a police officer, he clapped his hands and said "well done".

James Shand believed he was undetectable and embarked on online grooming of an individual who he believed was a thirteen-year-old child. Not content with his online behaviour, he then travelled from London to North Wales with the sole intention of meeting the child for sex.

Those who seek to exploit the internet for such vile acts are monitored and will be prosecuted.