DANIEL MORRIS FROM BUDLEIGH SALTERTON AND PLYMOUTH CAUGHT IN PAEDOPHILE HUNT IN NEWCASTLE

In a significant development in the fight against online child exploitation, authorities and vigilant citizen groups successfully apprehended Daniel Morris, a man from Devon who traveled nearly 400 miles with the intent to meet a minor for sexual purposes. Morris, who has since adopted the alias J FOX and now resides in Plymouth, was previously known to be from Budleigh Salterton, a small town in Devon.

In March 2016, Morris was lured into a trap set by the notorious paedophile hunting organization Dark Justice. This group, operating covertly, poses as underage girls during online chats to identify and catch predators. Their operations have led to the arrest and prosecution of 19 individuals suspected of child sexual offenses, many of whom are now serving prison sentences. The identities of these vigilantes have remained confidential to protect their safety and the integrity of their investigations.

During the Newcastle Crown Court proceedings, the two members of Dark Justice who conducted the sting were called to give evidence. They revealed that Morris, then 36 years old, had arranged to meet what he believed was a 15-year-old girl. The meeting was set in Newcastle, a city far from his home in Devon. When Morris arrived at the designated location, he was confronted on camera by the group, who had been monitoring his online conversations.

The evidence collected was substantial. The group had access to chat logs containing explicit sexual messages and photographs, as well as footage of the actual meeting. These materials were handed over to the police to support the case. Morris had falsely claimed during the online exchanges that he was a “firearms sergeant” with the police, even sending convincing photographs to bolster his fabricated identity. Despite the mounting evidence, Morris denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he must have been set up and that he no longer possessed the phone used to communicate with the decoy.

His defense argued that the online conversations had been manipulated to entrap him, a claim that was dismissed outright by the judge and jury. The court found Morris guilty of attempting to meet a child under 16 for sexual purposes, following a charge of sexual grooming. As a result, he was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years.

This case marked a milestone for Dark Justice, as it was the first time their members had to give evidence in court and face cross-examination by a defendant’s legal team. Historically, their cases have resulted in guilty pleas due to the compelling evidence they gather, and this case was no exception. The conviction underscores the importance of vigilant online monitoring and the ongoing efforts to protect minors from exploitation.