SIMON CLIFTON CAUGHT IN AVELEY PAEDOPHILE HUNTING STING

In July 2018, an incident unfolded in Aveley involving Simon Clifton, a 44-year-old resident of Tany Mead, who became the subject of a paedophile hunting operation. Clifton had been actively sending online sexual messages to individuals he believed to be young girls, raising serious concerns about his intentions and actions.

Clifton faced multiple charges after a trial at Basildon Crown Court. He pleaded not guilty initially, but the court found him guilty of four counts of sexual communication with a child under the age of 16 for the purpose of sexual gratification. The court proceedings revealed that Clifton had contacted online profiles he believed belonged to four girls aged 11, 13, 13, and 14 years old. During these interactions, he sent a series of sexually explicit messages and requested indecent images from the minors.

Further, Clifton attempted to incite the children into engaging in sexual activities. His intentions became more explicit when he expressed a desire to meet the 14-year-old girl for sexual purposes. He even arranged a meeting, only to be confronted by paedophile hunters who had set up the sting operation. The hunters questioned him about his online activities and intentions.

The operation was conducted by the organization 'Keeping Kids Safe,' which explained that the child involved in the sting was, in fact, an adult from the team 'Angels Of Innocence' posing online as a minor. This tactic is often used by such groups to catch predators attempting to exploit children.

Following the conviction, the court sentenced Clifton to a 12-month prison term, which was suspended for 24 months on each count, with all sentences running concurrently. Additionally, Clifton was ordered to comply with a sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders register, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities and restrictions to prevent further offending.