Man jailed for child sex offences committed in hotels

MAN JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES COMMITTED IN HOTELS

A man from Liverpool has been sentenced to prison after hotel staff raised concerns about his child sex offences, leading to his arrest and conviction.

Joel Dever, aged 25, received a prison term of five years and three months at Liverpool Crown Court.

Additionally, he was ordered to be on the Sex Offender Register for life and given a lifelong restraining order.

Dever, residing on Good Shepherd Close in Croxteth, admitted to multiple charges of child sexual offences, including six counts of sexual activity with a minor, facilitating or arranging a child sex offence, and making indecent images of a child categorized as A, B, or C.

The offences for which he was sentenced occurred in 2023, when he was 22.

He had established a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl via social media, engaging in the relationship for over a year and booking hotels in Liverpool and Southport for their meetings.

Detective Constable Soph Lowe, from Sefton Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, commented that collaboration with hotels and venues is essential in tackling child exploitation.

Staff are trained to identify signs of sexual abuse and report suspicions to authorities.

She explained that hotel staff acted on concerns about the girl’s age, which led to police involvement and Dever’s subsequent arrest.

The officer praised the victim and her family for their bravery in pursuing justice.

The prisoner’s removal from the community aims to protect others from potential harm.

Detective Lowe expressed hope that Dever’s sentence encourages victims to come forward and reassures the public that offenses are taken seriously and prosecuted.