RICKY SLADE AND JIMMY JONES: SHOCKING CHILD GROOMING CASES IN NOTTINGHAM
In February 2017, the tragic death of Ricky Slade, a known child sex offender from Nottingham, has sent shockwaves through the community and the wider public.Slade, who was 29 years old at the time of his death, was in custody at HMP Nottingham, awaiting sentencing for serious charges related to child grooming and attempted sexual offenses.
His death occurred on Friday, 3 February, and has prompted an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, as is standard procedure in all deaths occurring within custody.
Slade's criminal activities came to light after he engaged in online conversations with members of a self-styled 'paedophile hunting' group called The Hunted One.
The group, which claims to have a mission to expose online predators, arranged a confrontation with Slade, who believed he was meeting a young girl aged 10.
Instead, he was met by members of the group, who filmed the encounter on 19 November and subsequently posted the footage online.
The video showed Slade being confronted and arrested by police shortly thereafter.
The group expressed their shock and condolences following his death, stating, “We would like to send our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Ricky Slade at this difficult time.
Our team are deeply shocked to learn of this incident.
Out of respect to his family, we will be removing all posts in relation to this case.” Prior to his death, Slade had admitted to three counts of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of attempting to meet a child under 16 following grooming.
He was released on bail but failed to attend his sentencing hearing scheduled for 16 February, leading to a warrant for his arrest.
Subsequently, he was detained in prison while awaiting his next court appearance.
At the time of his death, he was without a fixed address and was known to have been involved in serious criminal proceedings.
In a related case from December 2016, two Nottingham men, Ricky Slade from the Meadows and Jimmy Jones from Stapleford, admitted to multiple child grooming offenses after being caught by online 'paedophile hunter' groups.
Slade was filmed outside Nottingham Station on 19 November, where members of The Hunted One confronted him and revealed that two girls he had approached online were actually fake profiles operated by the group.
Police arrived shortly after to arrest him and seize his phone.
The footage of the confrontation was uploaded to YouTube, garnering thousands of views before being removed.
Slade, who had previously resided in Houseman Gardens but was at the time of arrest of no fixed address, faced four charges: three related to attempting to incite a child under 13 and one involving a girl aged 13-15, all involving fake profiles.
Judge Gregory Dickinson QC warned Slade to expect a prison sentence when he returned to court on 20 January.
Slade, dressed in a dark raincoat and jeans, confirmed his identity and pleaded guilty to all charges, which spanned from May to November.
Similarly, Jimmy Jones, aged 24, of Rycroft Street, Stapleford, admitted to attempting to incite a child under 13, a girl aged 13-15, and a 10-year-old girl for sexual activity, all through fake profiles operated by a different online group.
Both men were released on bail with strict conditions, including daily reporting to police and restrictions on unsupervised contact with minors.
Neither had prior convictions.
Judge Dickinson emphasized the severity of their actions, stating, “When you come back to court you must expect to receive a prison sentence.
Thankfully there was no actual child involved, but you didn’t know that and what you had in mind was truly terrible.” The controversy surrounding online 'paedophile hunter' groups continues to grow.
Critics argue that such groups may jeopardize cases due to lack of official training and potential mishandling of evidence, while supporters believe they serve a vital role in assisting police amid resource constraints.
The Hunted One claims to have identified 42 online groomers in just over a year, boasting a 100 percent conviction rate, though their methods remain under scrutiny.
The tragic death of Ricky Slade underscores the ongoing dangers and complexities involved in tackling online child exploitation and the importance of proper legal procedures in such sensitive cases.
