Plea to parents after online pervert jailed
Parents in Shropshire have been urged to guard against online sexual predators – after a man was jailed for trying to groom young girls through Facebook.
Robert Andrew Jeffrey, 46, contacted former school friends on the social networking site and then tried to chat to their teenage daughters.
His attempts were foiled when several parents and their children became suspicious and reported their concerns to the police.
On Friday Jeffrey, a registered sex offender, formerly of Smithfield Road, Market Drayton, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
Shrewsbury Crown Court was told that he had failed to comply with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order imposed by Gloucester Crown Court last September.
Detective Constable Sarah Matthews, the investigating officer from West Mercia Police, said the case illustrated that children and parents need to be careful about talking to strangers on the internet.
She said: "People are not always who they claim to be, although Jeffrey's initial approach was somewhat different.
"He made contact with parents who he was acquainted with from many years back, coming across as an old friend.
"However, his motives were sinister in so far that his sole purpose was to make contact with people who had young daughters so he could engage in dialogue with them.
"Although there was no physical contact, he had started the grooming process and his manner and behaviour raised suspicions."
DC Matthews praised parents for coming forward and reporting their concerns.
She said: "Initially, they had no cause for concern. This was a stranger from their distant past – not a relative or friend but someone they were acquainted with from way back who used Facebook to renew that acquaintance and gain their trust."
Jeffrey admitted six charges relating to failure to comply with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
The charges also included failing to update the police with details of a new address and bank account, fraudulent use of a tax disc and altering the registration number of his car and failing to surrender to police bail.
Jeffrey also set up another Facebook account in the name of 21-year-old Matt Turner and again tried to contact the five 15 and 16-year-old girls.
Mr Kevin Jones, prosecuting on Friday, said Jeffrey would be "complementary" towards the girls and offered to buy them expensive gifts.
