Glenn Jones

A former police inspector, Glenn Jones, has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for attempting to meet a child with the intention of committing sexual abuse. The 56-year-old from Tonbridge, Kent, was arrested on 25 September 2018 after travelling to a shopping centre in Shoreham, Sussex, where he believed he was meeting a minor.

Jones, who had previously worked as an inspector for Thames Valley Police, had a prior conviction in 2015 for making indecent images of children, for which he was required to sign the sex offenders' register. Despite this, he engaged in online communications that led him to arrange the illicit meeting. Officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit confronted and arrested him at the location, preventing any potential harm.

At Guildford Crown Court, Jones pleaded not guilty to an offence of sexual activity with a child but was unanimously convicted by a jury. Detective Inspector Emily Evans of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit commented on the case, stating: "Jones had travelled a significant distance from his home in Kent with the full intention of meeting a child to abuse them. It is clear that he has not learned from his previous conviction, and I am therefore pleased that he has been handed a custodial sentence reflective of his abhorrent intentions." She further emphasised the severity of child abuse crimes, noting that such reports are always investigated thoroughly, irrespective of the individual's profession.

The court imposed a sentence of three and a half years' imprisonment, with an additional three years on licence upon release. Jones was also issued a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders' register for life. This case underscores the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat child sexual exploitation, as reported by the BBC and sourced from official statements by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit and HM Courts & Tribunals Service.