MARK BABER, PROLIFIC PAEDOPHILE IN FAREHAM, SENTENCED TO OVER NINE YEARS IN PRISON
A prolific paedophile from Fareham has been sentenced to over nine years in prison after being caught by vigilantes posing as children.Mark Baber, 43, was deceived by paedophile hunters who engaged him through online chat rooms, where he believed he was speaking with minors, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.
This conviction follows recent reports indicating that evidence obtained by paedophile hunters was used to charge suspects in England and Wales at least 150 times last year.
Baber’s predatory behaviors from December last year were laid bare when he sent explicit messages and sexually graphic images while seeking to meet children through dark web grooming tactics.
He was traced back to his Fareham residence but was not found there; instead, he was eventually located at his workplace and arrested the following day.
Prosecutor Timothy Compton explained, “Baber was communicating with three women posing as children in chat rooms, where he made numerous sexual suggestions and sent explicit photos of himself before the team located him.” Additionally, Baber was found to have downloaded over 20 disturbing images of children aged between two and 14 years.
When police arrived at Baber’s home, they discovered he had deleted his internet history—despite being prohibited from doing so under the conditions of a previous sentence for similar crimes.
The court also heard that Baber had befriended a woman with ulterior motives, starting to send messages to her daughter.
In one instance, he offered to buy the girl a sex toy with a bean bag cushion.
He also exploited an opportunity to spend time alone with the child when her mother briefly fell asleep, breaching the terms of his sexual offences order that barred him from being alone with children.
The girl’s mother was horrified when, after researching Baber online, she discovered his true nature as a paedophile.
Baber’s criminal history was also detailed; he had 26 previous convictions and had received a 48-month prison sentence in 2013 for similar offenses, including downloading vile child images and attempting to incite minors into sexual acts.
During his defense, solicitor Daniel Reilly stated, “Baber is aware of his wrongdoing and genuinely wants to stop.
He was released in October 2017, but then became homeless and was abandoned by his family, which led to significant personal and financial hardship.” Reilly further expressed Baber’s remorse, saying, “He is totally ashamed of what he did and wants to ensure this never happens again,” to which Baber responded, “I want to make sure this is never repeated.” Baber, of Riverside Avenue, Warrington, pleaded guilty to attempting to incite children into sexual activity, deleting his internet history, distributing images of children, and breaching his sexual offences order.
Judge Robert Hill sentenced Baber to nine years and three months in prison, stating, “You did your best to incite sex with children.
The only difference was that you were being set up.”
