March 2017 Paedophile jailed after police officer catches him trying to meet fake ‘boy’ in Bedford AN undercover police officer called Pat posed on line as a 14 year old boy from Bedford to catch a paedophile. Colin Dean, 51, from Meldreth, near Royston came into contact with the ‘boy’ over the gay dating site Grindr. The officer had been given a mobile phone and, on February 14 this year, created a fake identity using the name Mark_14, Luton crown court heard today. Prosecutor Michael Speak said Dean became involved in explicit conversation with Mark_14 that day. He sent four photographs of his genitalia and of two men having oral sex. Dean then asked Mark his age. He told him he was 14 and they arranged to meet the next day. When he arrived in Bedford, the police arrested Dean in his car. He told them he was in the town to meet someone and was ‘very nervous and red-faced,’ said Mr Speak. Dean of Bell Close, Meldreth near Royston appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a boy under 16 following grooming. He had a previous conviction from Cambridge magistrates in 1991 for gross indecency. Defending, Richard Padley said it was a relatively low level type of offence for this type. “He pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Thankfully no young boy received these messages.” Jailing him for 18 months, Judge Barbara Mensah said: “If you had met a real Mark you would have engaged in sexual activity with him.” She made a sexual harm prevention order with a condition that Dean does not have contact with anyone aged under 16.