JASON ROBERTS FROM PRESTATYN ESCAPES JAIL AFTER GROOMING PLOT CAERNARFON CROWN COURT

In a case that highlights the ongoing issues surrounding online grooming and the dangers posed to minors, Jason Roberts, a 48-year-old resident of Marion Road in Prestatyn, narrowly avoided imprisonment after attempting to engage in inappropriate and illegal communication with a girl he believed to be 14 years old.

Between October 16 and October 27 of the previous year, Roberts engaged in a series of messages via a social media platform, directed at what he thought was a teenage girl named Jade. During this period, he repeatedly sent her explicit messages, requesting photographs and attempting to arrange a meeting with her outside a supermarket in Prestatyn. His intent was clear: he wanted to meet the girl for sexual activity, a plan that was ultimately thwarted by vigilant online groups.

Unbeknownst to Roberts, the profile he was communicating with was not that of a minor but was created by Creep Catchers UK, an online organization dedicated to exposing individuals involved in child exploitation. When Roberts arrived at the designated meeting point, law enforcement authorities, who had been alerted to his intentions, swiftly intervened and arrested him.

During the court proceedings at Caernarfon Crown Court, Roberts admitted to charges of attempting to meet a girl under 16 for sexual purposes, following grooming, and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to possessing a folding pocket knife, which was found in his possession at the time of his arrest.

The judge, Timothy Petts, sentenced Roberts to a 15-month prison term, but this sentence was suspended for two years, meaning Roberts would not serve time unless he reoffended within that period. As part of his rehabilitation and monitoring, Roberts is required to attend two courses organized by the Probation Service.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Petts emphasized that Roberts’s actions—sending numerous messages containing crude and sexually inappropriate comments—were unacceptable, regardless of whether the recipient was a minor or an adult male posing as one. The judge acknowledged Roberts’s health problems but underscored that he was fully aware of his actions and their wrongfulness.

Furthermore, Roberts was ordered to be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and his details will be entered onto the Sex Offenders Register for the same duration. The judge made it clear that this case was an opportunity for Roberts to demonstrate that his behavior was isolated. He warned that any re-offending would result in severe consequences, with no second chances.

Prosecutor Richard Edwards detailed the nature of Roberts’s messages, describing them as numerous and increasingly explicit. He explained that Roberts initially asked for photographs from the girl, and when she did not send any, his messages became threatening. The messages also included explicit language and attempts to arrange a physical meeting for sexual activity, which was ultimately prevented by the online group and law enforcement authorities.