JASON MACLEOD OF ACCRINGTON SENTENCED FOR PREDATORY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND BESTIALITY PLOTS
In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community of Accrington, Jason Andrew Macleod has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of attempting to exploit young girls and engaging in heinous discussions involving animals.The incident, which unfolded in April 2018, revealed a pattern of predatory behavior that raised serious concerns about his risk to minors.
Burnley Crown Court was informed that Macleod, 47 years old and residing on Lydia Street in Accrington, had actively sought to meet with four girls for sexual purposes.
Unbeknownst to him, he was communicating with online paedophile hunters operating under the pseudonym ‘Dark Light’.
These hunters had set up a trap, and Macleod’s intentions were captured on Facebook Live when he arrived at a McDonald's in Burnley, expecting to meet a girl named ‘Laura’.
Instead, he was confronted by the hunters, leading to his immediate arrest.
Judge Jonathan Gibson addressed the court, emphasizing the severity of Macleod’s actions and his potential danger to young girls.
He described Macleod as posing a “significant risk of causing sexual harm to young girls around the 12 to 14 years age group” and classified him as a dangerous offender.
The judge also stated that upon his release from prison, Macleod would be subject to a license period of eight years, during which he would be closely monitored.
Prosecutor Richard Archer recounted Macleod’s criminal history, noting that he had previously served a three-year sentence in 2012 for engaging in sexual activity with a 12-year-old girl in South Yorkshire.
Despite being subject to a sexual offences prevention order that prohibited him from contacting girls under 16 and from using pseudonyms, Macleod continued to pursue underage girls through social media.
Specifically, Macleod, who was formerly living on Cleaver Street in Burnley, created multiple profiles on the social media platform ‘Meet 4 U’, using aliases such as Jason Matlin, Jim Green, Jay, Jason Foulkes, and Jay Green.
He contacted four different profiles, believing them to be underage girls, starting from February 1 of that year.
Over the course of more than a week, he engaged in increasingly inappropriate conversations, requesting explicit photographs, discussing bestiality, and attempting to arrange meetings in his Mercedes vehicle for sexual encounters.
During these exchanges, Macleod boasted about his sexual experiences with girls his age, claiming none of them had become pregnant.
He also expressed a desire for a threesome involving one of the girls and her auntie, sent explicit images of himself, and suggested meeting in a car park at Botany Bay near Chorley for sexual activity.
His actions included attempts to persuade a girl to engage in sexual acts with animals, which further demonstrated his dangerous and predatory mindset.
In court, Macleod admitted to attempting to induce a child to engage in sexual activity and acknowledged breaching the court orders previously imposed on him.
His behavior has been described as deeply troubling, and his sentencing reflects the serious nature of his offenses and the ongoing threat he poses to the safety of young girls in the community.
