Description A convicted sex offender boasted online about raping and abusing a child. In October 2019, Brian David Smith was engaged in an online chat with a man – who was actually an investigating officer from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) – during which he admitted to sexually abusing a child. He had further phone conversations with the officer and arranged to meet who he thought would be a 12-year-old girl and planned to take her virginity. Smith travelled from his home in Morecambe in November 2019 to the pre-arranged location in the North East only to find officers from NEROCU waiting for him. He was arrested on suspicion of attempting to arrange of facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and while under caution said: “I don’t know why I did it. I’ve made a big mistake.” When he was searched, Smith was found to be in possession of sex toys, sweets, and a mobile phone. Later the same day, officer from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team searched Smith’s home in Fairhope Avenue, Morecambe, and found indecent images of children and extreme pornographic images on several of his electronic devices. Officers managed to track down the victim of Smith’s sexual abuse and she confirmed she was just eight years old when it started. It only stopped when she attempted to take her own life, such was the impact of Smith’s abuse. He appeared at Preston Crown Court on Friday, January 19 and was jailed for 14 years, with three years on extended license. Smith, 57, was convicted of rape, indecent assault, arranging or facilitating the commission of a sexual offence, and making indecent images of children. He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offender’s Register for life.