PAUL ELLIS FROM DENBIGH CAUGHT IN SHOCKING CHILD SEX STING IN NEWCASTLE

In August 2017, a disturbing case unfolded involving Paul Ellis, a resident of Denbigh, who was caught in a covert operation targeting online child exploitation. The incident took place in Newcastle, where Ellis traveled over 200 miles with the intent of engaging in sexual activity with a minor he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

Ellis, aged 58 and employed as a chip shop worker, arrived in Newcastle carrying condoms, under the false impression that he was about to meet a young girl he had been communicating with online. Unbeknownst to him, the profile he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl was actually created by The Dark Justice group, an online child protection organization that simulates minors to trap potential offenders.

At Mold Crown Court, it was revealed that Ellis was already on bail at the time of this incident. He had previously been arrested at his home in Denbigh for engaging in highly sexualized conversations with underage boys and girls on the internet. The court heard that Ellis, who is from Rhyl Road in Denbigh, had been involved in these illicit chats for several months, exchanging explicit photographs and making arrangements to meet the supposed minor.

The conversations clearly indicated Ellis’s intentions, as he expressed a desire to engage in sexual acts with the girl. The group’s operation recorded their confrontation with Ellis, during which he admitted that he was there to meet a girl for sex. The case involving the Newcastle incident was subsequently transferred to Mold Crown Court for sentencing.

Following his arrest, Ellis was convicted and sentenced to four years and two months in prison. Additionally, he was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and was subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. The court also noted that Ellis is a highly qualified nautical engineer capable of skippers vessels, which underscores the seriousness of his offending behavior.

Judge Rhys Rowlands delivered a stern judgment, describing Ellis’s conduct as involving “lurid sexual conversations” with children over several months. The judge emphasized that Ellis continued his depraved behavior even after his initial arrest and court appearance. He traveled to Newcastle with the clear intent of meeting a 13-year-old girl for sexual purposes, fully aware of the risks involved but determined to proceed regardless of police intervention.

Further details revealed that in April 2015, police had seized Ellis’s computer from his home, discovering numerous graphic sexual chat logs involving children as young as 12 and 13. Prosecutor Sion ap Mihangel stated that Ellis had suggested that the minors participate in sex acts and had encouraged them to meet him, falsely claiming to be in his 30s.

Ellis admitted to five charges of attempting to arrange a child sex offense over the internet in 2015. He also acknowledged 11 similar offenses committed between January and October of the previous year. Concerning the Newcastle incident, he pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity between August of the previous year and April of this year, highlighting the ongoing nature of his offending behavior.