Jason Evans

A man from Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison following a police sting operation that exposed his online grooming activities targeting young girls. Jason Evans, aged 34, was arrested at Stonehouse railway station on 9 January 2019 after arriving to meet what he believed was a 13-year-old girl he had been chatting with online. The 'girl' was in fact a fake profile created by Avon and Somerset Police as part of an undercover operation.

The court heard that Evans had been using online profiles to target vulnerable girls aged between 12 and 16, encouraging them to send naked photographs of themselves. He offered to pay their train fares to facilitate meetings for sexual purposes. Although none of the targeted girls actually met him for sex, Evans demonstrated a 'historical and entrenched fixation with children', according to evidence presented at Gloucester Crown Court. Disturbingly, several of the most recent offences occurred while Evans was already subject to a sexual harm prevention order, highlighting the ongoing risk he posed.

Evans admitted charges of grooming and possessing indecent images at Gloucester Crown Court. On 31 January 2019, Judge Ian Lawrie QC sentenced him, stating he was in no doubt that Evans was dangerous and that there was a significant risk he would commit further offences if not imprisoned. Evans appeared via videolink from HMP Bristol during the proceedings. The operation was initiated after police discovered his activities, underscoring the effectiveness of proactive policing in preventing child sexual exploitation.

Source: BBC News, UK England Gloucestershire, published 9 January 2019. Image source: Avon and Somerset Police.