MAN JAILED AFTER VIGILANTE PAEDOPHILE STING IN ESSEX
An Egyptian man has been jailed for more than four years after travelling from the Midlands to Essex to have sex with an underage girl.Tarek Elshendi, 35, of Moseley Road in Birmingham, pleaded guilty to seven child sex offences at Basildon Crown Court in January after being snared by vigilante paedophile hunters.
It turned out he had been talking to multiple fictitious children, each the construct of different vigilante groups.
Elshendi was arrested by Essex Police when he travelled to Harlow intending to meet one of the underage girls he thought he had been chatting to.
He was instead met by internet vigilantes who broadcast themselves confronting him on social media.
“When the arrest is live streamed on Facebook, there is a flood of other vigilante groups who report his activities – so of course, that must give rise to serious concerns,” prosecutor Philippa Page told the court in January.
Elshendi pleaded guilty to four counts of attempting sexual communication with a person under the age of 16.
Each charge related to a different decoy child he had communicated with.
He also admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and two charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.
All seven crimes were committed in the space of two-and-a-half weeks in August last year.
Judge Richard Conley warned Elshendi in January that a lengthy prison sentence seemed inevitable.
He made good on that promise when the paedophile returned for sentence on Thursday (April 30).
Judge Conley sentenced him to four-and-a-half years in prison.
Mitigating barrister Jessica Peck said in January that her client had already been informed that he would likely serve 30% of any prison sentence before being deported back to Egypt.
He would not contest the deportation, she said, as he “wants to return as soon as possible”.
Although he likely faces deportation straight from custody, Judge Conley informed him that he would be subject to the usual sex offender notification requirements and would be barred from working with children or vulnerable people.
He also imposed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) placing strict restrictions on Elshendi’s use of internet-enable devices and ability to interact with children.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————— An Egyptian man is facing deportation after travelling to Essex to have sex with an underage girl.
But Tarek Elshendi, 35, had actually fallen for a sting by “vigilante” paedophile hunters, prosecutor Philippa Page told Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday (January 6).
Elshendi pleaded guilty to seven child sex offences and was told he will be remanded to prison until he is sentenced at the end of February.
“You have admitted now seven offences, all relating to sexual misbehaviour with children,” said Judge Richard Conley – his words being translated to Elshendi by an Arabic interpreter.
"These are serious matters, as I’m sure you understand.
It seems to me that a substantial term of imprisonment is pretty much inevitable in your case.” Elshendi pleaded guilty to four counts of attempting sexual communication with a person under the age of 16 – each charge relating to a different decoy child.
He sent sexual messages to all four via WhatsApp and Facebook.
He also admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and two charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.
All seven crimes were committed in the space of two-and-a-half weeks in August last year.
He was arrested when he travelled from his home, in Moseley Road, Birmingham, to Harlow, intending to meet an underage girl.
But when he arrived, he was confronted by vigilante paedophile hunters, who had called the police and were broadcasting his arrival on the internet.
"There are multiple intended victims," said Mrs Page.
"When the arrest is live streamed on Facebook, there is a flood of other vigilante groups who report his activities – so of course, that must give rise to serious concerns." Mitigating barrister Jessica Peck said her client had already been informed that he would likely serve 30% of any prison sentence before being deported back to Egypt – something he would not contest, as “he wants to return as soon as possible”.
Judge Conley ordered a probation pre-sentence report, telling Elshendi: “It is really to address the risk of further offences and whether or not you are someone who should be treated as a dangerous offender, rather than it being to consider any alternatives to custody – particularly given that you have already indicated to me through your barrister that you intend to seek voluntary repatriation to Egypt.” His sentencing was scheduled for February 24.
