BISHOP'S STORTFORD DENTIST ALAN URIE SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCE

In February 2019, a court in St Albans sentenced Alan Urie, a dentist from Bishop’s Stortford in his 60s, to a two-year suspended prison term after he attempted to entice a minor for sex. Urie believed he was communicating with a 15-year-old boy named Ben via the gay dating app Grindr, but he was actually speaking with a paedophile hunter.

Prosecutor James Keeley revealed that Urie, then aged 63, used the screen name 'Older/younger' during the chats that began in the early hours of May 11, 2017. When Urie received a photo of a youth in school uniform, he commented, saying he looked "very attractive." The boy mentioned he might not have disclosed his age, stating, "I don't think I said I am 15, by the way."

The conversations included discussions about sexual preferences, with Urie asking when the boy would be 16 and inquiring about his underwear tastes. He also asked for nude pictures and asked, "Are you looking to be f*****?" Urie then attempted to arrange meetings, first at Bishop’s Stortford's household waste recycling centre and later at Birchanger Green M11 services, but both were canceled.

Eventually, Urie was arrested in his car after the paedophile hunters contacted police. During police interviews, he admitted he planned to meet 'Ben,' but claimed it was not for sexual reasons. Nonetheless, he pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Defence lawyer Matthew Gowen emphasized Urie’s good character, stating, "He is 65-and-a-half and was arrested 20 months ago. He has never been before the court before. He had a profession, a career and was well respected by peers and those he came into contact with. There are character references from those with whom he has had professional contact and his family." Gowen also argued that there was no actual victim involved.

Judge Nigel Lithman QC addressed Urie directly, stating, "This is charged as an attempt. No child existed and none was abused. The whole nature of the offence cultivates the culture of abuse of children, which is as reprehensible an offence as one can find. What singles this case out was that there was a degree of wrestling by you with your conscience which told you you were running headlong into disaster. Fortunately, no actual child suffered."

The judge considered Urie’s mitigation as 'exceptional,' leading to a sentence outside the usual guidelines. He imposed a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years. Urie, of Barrells Down Road, was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, attend 20 days of rehabilitation, register as a sex offender, and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years. His phone was forfeited, and he was warned: "I am making a high unpaid work order – 200 hours – a lengthy time for you to reflect on what you have done and whether you are going to make bad choices in the future. You can go, but you better stay out of trouble. You better had."

Previously, Urie was employed at Oasis Dental Care in Bishop’s Stortford on Barrett Lane. In July 2017, the General Dental Council imposed an interim suspension on his registration, ongoing as of February 2019, "for the purposes of public protection and otherwise in the public interest."

Additionally, in a separate case from January 29, 2019, Urie appeared in court after being caught in a sting operation conducted by the paedophile hunters group CSE Interceptors. He admitted to one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and was due to be sentenced at the same court, facing potential imprisonment for his actions.