SOUTH YORKSHIRE PAEDOPHILE FLED COUNTRY IN A WAY TO EVADE JUSTICE.
Said Mezour, a Moroccan national, encountered setbacks in his asylum process before engaging in criminal activity involving a decoy account.Despite being informed multiple times that “Sophie” was only 13, he persisted in sexually charged communications, including sending videos of himself performing sex acts and sharing pornography.
Sheffield Crown Court was told that he encouraged “Sophie” to respond in kind and to imitate what was shown in the videos he provided.
Prosecutor Mark Bates explained that authorities became aware of Mezour’s conduct when the so-called paedophile hunter group operating the decoy account contacted emergency services, offering evidence like photographs and videos.
Upon arrest, Mezour admitted, during police interviews, to “communicating sexually with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl,” Bates stated.
Following his arrest in August 2021, the homeless defendant was released under investigation, then subsequently fled the UK to live in Ireland for some time.
He later returned to the UK and was charged, with consent to the charge he had previously admitted, for attempting to communicate sexually with a minor.
The 34-year-old was sentenced to 12 months in jail.
Judge Michael Slater noted that Mezour’s decision to travel to Ireland was a conscious effort to evade justice, which caused procedural delays.
