JEFFREY ROE FROM SOUTH SHIELDS AND WHITBURN CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND ONLINE PREDATION

In May 2016, a disturbing case emerged involving Jeffrey Roe, a 33-year-old man from Whitburn, who was apprehended after engaging in heinous online activities targeting underage girls. Roe had been posing as a teenage boy on various social networking platforms, employing this false identity to manipulate and persuade young females into sending explicit photographs of themselves.

His sinister online behavior was uncovered when he took his mobile phone to an O2 shop located on King Street in South Shields, claiming it was malfunctioning. The shop assistant, upon inspecting the device, discovered a disturbing collection of images and videos stored on Roe’s phones. Recognizing the severity of the content, the employee promptly contacted law enforcement authorities. This action led to Roe’s arrest and subsequent investigation.

Authorities found that Roe had amassed a collection of approximately 1,695 images and videos, some classified as among the most serious of their kind. The material included a range of indecent images, from Category A images depicting penetrative acts involving young children to Category C images involving sexual posing. Roe himself admitted that his collection was “terrifying,” highlighting the extent of his depravity.

Further examination of his devices revealed that Roe had been in contact with multiple young girls through social media. He had successfully convinced at least one girl to send him a total of 102 explicit images, believing she was communicating with a fellow teenager. Law enforcement officials managed to trace communications with five minors, uncovering a pattern of predatory behavior.

Judge Tim Gittins presided over Roe’s case at Newcastle Crown Court. During the proceedings, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent images of children and encouraging the commission of an offense. The judge sentenced Roe to 16 months in prison. Additionally, he ordered Roe to adhere to a sexual harm prevention order and to register as a sex offender for the next ten years.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Gittins emphasized the gravity of Roe’s actions. He stated, “You sought assistance for your mobile phone that was not working properly. The shop assistant who was dealing with you observed, when he checked the phone, there was indecent images, which undoubtedly alarmed and shocked him. He took entirely the proper step. Examination of your phones revealed not just a large quantity of images of various categories, from the most serious category A images of penetrative sex with young children, to category C involving sexual posing but importantly it revealed contact you had had with a number of girls where you used an identity over social media, purporting to be a 17-year-old youth to persuade them, successfully on a number of occasions, to send indecent images.”

As Roe was led away to begin his sentence, he expressed remorse, asking, “I’m actually going to jail?” and saying, “I’m sorry.” His defense attorney, Graeme Cook, highlighted Roe’s role as a carer for his mother and noted that she felt genuine remorse for his actions. Mr. Cook argued that removing Roe’s liberty could cause significant hardship for his mother, emphasizing the personal and familial impact of his incarceration.