ALEJ JONES FROM HOLYWELL CAUGHT IN CHILD SEX OFFENCE PLOT IN MOLD

In July 2020, a disturbing case unfolded involving Aled Jones, a 32-year-old man from Dewi Avenue, Holywell, who became the subject of a serious criminal investigation after attempting to engage in sexual communication with what he believed were underage girls online. The case was brought to light when Jones was found to have been sending explicit messages and images to what he thought were three young girls, but in reality, he was communicating with undercover paedophile hunters operating through an online decoy scheme.

According to court proceedings, Jones believed he was speaking to a 10-year-old girl when he expressed his desire to have sex with her, sent her an explicit image of himself, and warned her not to show the image to her parents. His conversations also included attempts to solicit sexual images from two girls he thought were 14 years old, with explicit language and grooming behaviour. He explicitly discussed sexual acts and asked for photographs, including requests for images of their underwear and bottoms.

Throughout these exchanges, Jones made efforts to build trust with the decoys by discussing seemingly innocent topics such as pets, before gradually steering the conversation toward sexual content. He even inquired whether the girls liked “dirty talk” and asked if they wore tight jeans or thongs, indicating a clear intent to groom and exploit.

Further, Jones revealed personal details about his life, including his place of residence, his employment at Airbus, and the fact that he had a young daughter. Despite the decoys expressing discomfort and attempting to change the subject, Jones persisted in his grooming tactics, sending explicit images of himself and asking the girls to reciprocate.

One of the most alarming aspects of the case was Jones’s explicit communication with the decoy posing as a 10-year-old girl, where he suggested having sex and asked for a picture of her in tight clothing. He also discussed touching her in “private places,” revealing a disturbing level of predatory intent.

Jones’s online activities did not go unnoticed. The decoys’ chat logs were collected and passed on to the authorities. A vigilante sting operation was organized, during which members of the group visited Jones’s home in Holywell. The confrontation was live-streamed on Facebook and subsequently handed over to the police.

Jones was arrested on December 21 and readily admitted to the offences. The court heard that he had attempted to cause a child aged 14 to view sexual images, attempted to engage a child in sexual activity, and attempted to arrange or facilitate a child sex offence, among other charges. His actions led to his being sentenced to 28 months in prison by Mold Crown Court.

Judge Timothy Petts emphasized that Jones believed he was communicating with children, but all the individuals he interacted with were adult decoys. The judge stated, “The offences you committed sexually were against people you believed were children. Unbeknown to you, they were all adult decoys. In each case, you knew the age they were purporting to be and that did not deter you in turning the discussions to sexual language, sexualised requests and grooming behaviour.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Jones was subjected to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and was ordered to register as a sex offender for the same period. The case highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement and community groups to combat online grooming and protect vulnerable children from predators, even when the predator is unaware that they are speaking to adults posing as minors.