LESLEY GEARING FROM KENT CAUGHT IN PETERBOROUGH MEETING UNDERAGE GIRL
A convicted paedophile has been sentenced to prison after traveling over 100 miles from his home in Kent to Peterborough with the intent to meet an underage girl, only to be met by police decoys instead.Leslie Gearing, aged 78, was living on McKenzie Road in Chatham when he made the journey to Central Park in Peterborough on February 20.
His goal was to meet a girl he believed was just 13 years old, but in reality, he was communicating with undercover police officers.
Gearing had initiated contact with the girl online back in December, engaging in a series of messages that included exchanging sexually explicit images.
During these exchanges, he was keen to erase any trace of their conversations, instructing the girl to delete all messages.
He also claimed that any images he received would be stored securely in an encrypted folder on his computer’s hard drive, indicating a clear intent to conceal his activities.
Throughout their online interactions, Gearing expressed admiration for the girl’s appearance, describing her as a “very pretty girl.” He expressed a desire to take nude photographs of her and engage in sexual activity, unaware that he was speaking to an undercover officer.
His intentions culminated in him traveling to Peterborough, where he planned to meet the girl in person.
His plans were thwarted when he arrived in Peterborough, as police from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) had been monitoring his activities.
A pre-arranged operation led to his arrest upon his arrival.
During a search of his vehicle, authorities discovered child-sized underwear, sex toys, and camera equipment, all of which raised further concerns about his intentions.
Investigators also found that Gearing’s devices contained over 30,000 indecent images of children.
Further examination of his home uncovered additional sexual communications with minors and adults, including some attempts to arrange sexual activities with children.
These findings painted a disturbing picture of his ongoing predatory behavior.
On September 18, at Cambridge Crown Court, Gearing was sentenced to three years and 11 months in prison.
He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, three counts of attempted sexual communication with a minor, and two counts of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to view sexual images.
He also admitted to distributing indecent images, possessing extreme pornographic material, and attempting to meet a child under 16 following grooming activities.
A further count of attempting to meet a child under 16 was found to be proven but was ordered to lie on file.
DC Cheryl Lee from POLIT commented on the case, stating, “Gearing, through his self-serving depravity, was prepared to travel more than 100 miles with no care for the physical and emotional damage he would have caused by engaging in sexual activity with an underage child.
The items he brought with him show just how much of a risk he poses to children.
Thankfully he has been exposed and caught and will be held accountable for his actions.”
