Mark Weedon

A 52-year-old man from Granborough, Buckinghamshire, has been jailed for four years following his conviction on several child sex offences and possession of extreme pornography. Mark Weedon, residing at Marks Orchard, used online chat platforms to groom and arrange to meet a 13-year-old boy, disguising his identity with false names and usernames to infiltrate groups targeting underage males.

Between January and February 2024, Weedon communicated with the boy online, attempting to engage in sexual communication and arranging to facilitate penetrative sexual activity. He planned a meeting in Windsor on 1 February 2024, where he was instead arrested by officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Upon searching his vehicle, police discovered condoms, lubricants, syringes, and heavy-duty tape, while a nearby hotel room he had booked contained adult toys, lubricant, and rope, indicating his intent to carry out the offences.

An examination of Weedon's electronic devices revealed a large number of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, leading to charges of making three counts of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child. He also pleaded guilty to one count each of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, arranging or facilitating the commission of sexual activity with a child involving penetration, and possessing an extreme pornographic image of an animal. Weedon had used aliases such as Justin Turner, ‘Jez_Light’, ‘JLightUK’, and ‘jez1002’ to participate in online chat groups for older men seeking younger, including underage, males.

Weedon was charged on 2 February 2024 and sentenced at Reading Crown Court on 25 November 2024. Detective Constable Petar Stoyanov of SEROCU described Weedon as a 'nasty individual who planned to commit sexual offences against a child', emphasising the unit's commitment to investigating and prosecuting such horrific crimes. The case was reported by the Milton Keynes Citizen on 26 November 2024, highlighting the dangers of online grooming and the effectiveness of regional organised crime units in protecting vulnerable children.