Paedophile took wine and baby oil to meet ‘girl, 12’
A PAEDOPHILE took alcohol and baby oil with him when he intended to meet a chat-room user he believed to be a 12-year-old at a hotel.
Mel Jenkins, 47, travelled from Leicester to Pontyclun to meet the “child” after grooming her online by telling her she could trust him and he would like to educate her about sex.
Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Eleri Rees said there could have been “no misunderstanding” about her age.
The court heard the offending occurred between March 31 and May 18.
Gareth James, prosecuting, said a decoy from paedophile hunting group Welsh Children Protectors created a profile on Chat Hour pretending to be a 12-year-old girl.
He told the court she made the girl’s age “quite clear” and went on to make around 200 references to it, including mentioning her mother, school, and bedtime.
Mr James said: “The defendant was fully aware that the person he was talking to was 12.”
The court heard Jenkins turned the conversation sexual, asking the “child” if she knew about sex. She replied saying she had never had a boyfriend.
Mr James said: “The defendant suggested he would like to ‘educate’ her as far as sex is concerned. He persisted and said she could trust him.”
Prosecutors said Jenkins sent her a photograph of his genitals and suggested sexual activity.
He subsequently arranged to meet her at the Haveli Hotel in Coedcae Lane on May 18.
Mr James said: “He told her if they were challenged she should say he was her father.”
The decoy contacted South Wales Police and presented them with logs of their conversations.
Prosecutors said Jenkins was met at Pontyclun railway station by a police officer, who asked him: “Do you know why I am here?”
He replied “obviously” and, when he saw the decoy, added he had been “stupid”. Asked what he meant, he responded: “Talking online.”
The defendant’s phone was seized and found to contain 10 Category C indecent images of children.
Prosecutors said he was carrying an overnight bag containing clothes, toiletries, wine and baby oil.
Checks on the Police National Computer showed he was the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
He gave a prepared statement accepting that he came to meet the girl but claiming he believed she was over 16.
Mr James said: “The messages would indicate to anybody they were talking to a child.”
The court heard he told the girl she was “a bit young yet” to engage in full sexual intercourse.
Prosecutors said he had been before the courts for 17 previous offences and argued the new offences represented an escalation in offending of this type.
Jenkins was jailed in December 2015 at Lincoln Crown Court for seven counts of possessing and distributing indecent images of children.
Mr James said: “His interest in such images clearly has not gone away. He is going to the next level by planning contact.”
Jenkins, from Staples Drive in Leicester, admitted attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming.
He also admitted possessing indecent images of children and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Stephen Thomas, defending, said the offending did not involve a real child.
He said his client, who previously worked as a carer and electrician, struggled to find accommodation and work after being released from prison and described himself as “isolated”.
The court heard he had been affected by anxiety and depression but stopped taking his medication as it made him feel unwell.
Mr Thomas said: “The defendant real- ises he does need to change.”
Judge Rees noted he was on licence when the offences were committed.
She said the previous Sexual Harm Prevention Order was “designed to prevent this very kind of offending”.
Jenkins was jailed for two years and four months and a new indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made.