Ralph Peebles-Brown

Ralph Peebles-Brown, a 54-year-old man from Axbridge, was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court for a series of child sex offences stemming from an undercover operation conducted by the Metropolitan Police.

In June 2012, Peebles-Brown initiated contact on a social networking site with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Unbeknownst to him, this was a covert internet investigator posing as the minor. Over the subsequent four months, Peebles-Brown engaged the 'girl' in increasingly sexually explicit conversations. He sent her images depicting child abuse, exchanged text messages, and even called to arrange a physical meeting in London on 6 October 2012.

Although Peebles-Brown arrived late and ultimately did not attend the planned meeting, he apologised to the 'girl' the following day and continued sending indecent material. The Metropolitan Police forwarded their investigation file to Avon and Somerset Constabulary, leading to Peebles-Brown's arrest on 17 October 2012. During the search of his home, police seized his computer equipment and discovered more than 200 indecent images and movies of children.

At an earlier hearing, Peebles-Brown admitted to one count of attempted grooming and one count of distribution of images of children. He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of making indecent images of children and two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sex act. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. Additionally, he received a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) and was placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Detective Constable Geoff Colvin, the investigating officer from Avon and Somerset Constabulary, commented: 'Peebles-Brown set out to contact an underage girl through a social media site. Once he made contact, he began grooming her and would encourage her to engage in conversations of an increasingly sexual nature, culminating in making an arrangement to meet her on October 6, 2012 in London.' Colvin further highlighted the collaborative effort: 'This investigation is a prime example of how we are working successfully with our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police and sharing expertise and intelligence in order to bring offenders like Peebles-Brown to justice.' The case underscores ongoing police commitments to combat online paedophilia and enhance internet safety.