CRAIG WARR FROM CHESTER AND UPTON JAILED FOR ONLINE CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AT CHESTER ZOO

In a significant case highlighting the dangers of online grooming, Craig Warr, a 41-year-old man from Upton, Chester, has been sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to sexually exploit children through online communications. Warr, who was employed as an assistant within Chester Zoo's animal supplies team, appeared before Chester Crown Court on Friday, November 2, where he pleaded guilty to multiple serious charges.

Warr's criminal conduct involved engaging in inappropriate and sexual communications with what he believed to be underage girls. Specifically, he faced four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and four counts of attempting to induce a child to watch a sexual act. These offenses took place over a period from June 2018 to October 2018, during which Warr established online relationships with four girls, all under the age of 13.

The interactions were carried out via the Kik messaging platform, a social media application often used for private messaging. Warr employed various false online identities to conceal his true intentions, including profiles named Jay Write, Jaywrite1, Boredjay, Moonstar (DayandNight1066), and Jay Jay. Through these aliases, he sought to groom the young girls, attempting to make them feel special and trusted in order to manipulate them into engaging in sexual activities.

Unbeknownst to Warr, the individuals he was communicating with were not the young girls he believed he was targeting. Instead, they were undercover police officers from the South West, West Midlands, and Eastern Regional Organised Crime Units, who had posed as minors to catch him in the act.

Warr's arrest was carried out on Thursday, October 4, during a police raid at his residence on Flag Lane North in Upton. Following his arrest and subsequent court proceedings, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Additionally, Warr was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years and was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration, aimed at restricting his future conduct and protecting the community from potential harm.

This case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat online child exploitation and highlights the importance of vigilance in safeguarding vulnerable minors from grooming and abuse.