NICHOLAS PIERCE FROM WILMINGTON AND DARTFORD JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES

In a case that has shocked the local communities of Wilmington and Dartford, Nicholas Pierce, a 32-year-old man with a background as a PhD graduate and IT professional, has been sentenced to an indefinite term in prison following a series of disturbing criminal activities involving the exploitation of minors.

Pierce’s criminal history includes an earlier conviction in which he served only six months of a 14-month sentence after attempting to engage in sexual activities with a 12-year-old girl through online chats. During these conversations, he offered her £500 with the explicit intention of having sex and impregnating her, a heinous act that demonstrated his predatory behavior.

Despite his early release, Pierce’s criminal tendencies resurfaced less than a year later. In December 2007, he was caught in a police sting operation, which was part of an undercover investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Paedophile Unit. Undercover officers had engaged him in online conversations, during which he began chatting with a girl who identified herself as ‘Katie’ and was only 14 years old. Within just seven minutes of their online exchange, Pierce had sent her an explicit photograph of himself, further revealing his intent.

During the investigation, Pierce also asked ‘Katie’ for her home address, claiming he wanted to visit her when her mother was not at home, with the apparent aim of engaging in sexual activity. Unbeknownst to him, ‘Katie’ was an undercover police officer, which led to his immediate arrest. Authorities raided his residence in Church Walk, Wilmington, uncovering a disturbing collection of child pornography stored on his computer. The police also found photographs of the girl in the bath and images of Pierce himself performing sexual acts on a 15-year-old girl, further illustrating the extent of his criminal behavior.

In court, Pierce faced multiple charges, including attempting to incite a child into sexual activity, attempting to induce a child to view sexual images, possession of indecent images of children, and making indecent images of children. He admitted to several counts, which painted a clear picture of his predatory conduct.

During the proceedings, a psychiatric report was presented, suggesting that Pierce suffered from social phobia and was not classified as a paedophile, but rather as someone suffering from loneliness. Despite this, Judge Peter Testar at Southwark Crown Court emphasized the serious threat Pierce posed to the community. The judge stated, “He comes from a highly-respectable background and is highly qualified. I am driven to the conclusion that Mr. Pierce does actually represent a danger to children and he seems to me as somebody whose activity does cross or can cross from the world of fantasy to the world of action.”

As a result, Pierce was sentenced to a minimum of 16 months in prison before he could be considered for parole. Additionally, he will be registered on the sex offenders’ register for life and will be subject to a sexual offences prevention order for the next ten years, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities and restrictions to protect the public from further harm.