September 2015 Pervert groomed girls as young as NINE through Facebook A ‘cunning, cruel and deceitful’ man groomed London girls aged 9 and 13 ‘for sexual purposes’ through Facebook, and today police urged parents to be wary of the risks involved when children use social media. Ian Alexander, 48, of Rowland Way in Ashford, Middlesex used “many and varied deceptions” to try to lure girls into meeting up with him. In passing a three year and five month sentence at Isleworth Crown Court yesterday, His Honour Judge Marron said: “You targeted (the victims) by many and varied deceptions”. The court heard that on seizing Alexander’s phones and computers, officers found sexually explicit messages. One of the people the pervert was contacting appeared to be a nine-year-old girl. In 2013 a 13-year-old girl received a friend request on Facebook. It was apparently from a 15-year-old boy called Daniel, but in reality the request came from Alexander. He began to groom the girl, attempting to meet up with her several times and eventually travelling from to meet her in Feltham Park, Hounslow. Luckily, the teenager brought friends to the meet-up and when she received a message from Alexander (who was still using the name Daniel) saying that he was in the park and could see her, one of them got scared. The friend called the police and officers attended, searching the park unsuccessfully before beginning an investigation to find out who ‘Daniel’ really was. DS Martin Siertsema of Hounslow CID, said today: “Ian Alexander, who was already a registered sex offender, used social networking, messenger services and also text messages to contact and groom young girls for sexual purposes. He was cunning, cruel and deceitful and is a danger to young people. “Alexander travelled to a park to meet one 13-year-old, but thankfully a friend realised the danger posed by this man, called police and took her home. “Parents need to be very wary of the risks posed by social media and speak to their children about who they might be communicating with. If you have any concerns, call the police.” Alexander was sentenced to a total of three years and five months in prison at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday September 23, having been charged on February 9 this year with offences of sexual grooming and breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order. He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He had pleaded guilty to eight offences at an earlier hearing at the same court.