STEPHEN SUSSAMS

PAEDOPHILE ARRESTED AS HE WAITED TO MEET BOY HE’D GROOMED ON SNAPCHAT

A predator who was arrested by officers as he waited to meet a teenage boy he had groomed on Snapchat has been jailed.

Stephen Sussams, 62, had travelled from Biggins Wood Road, Folkestone, on July 23 with the intention of sexually abusing a youngster he had targeted through social media.

However, waiting for the paedophile were police officers who had witnessed his attempt to groom the boy.

Over the course of two-and-a-half-weeks, Sussams had tried to gain the child’s trust by discussing everyday topics before moving on to sexually explicit conversations.

Between July 4 and July 23 this year, he sent numerous graphic messages through platforms including Snapchat.

He repeatedly requested indecent images of the child and described the sexual acts he intended to carry out if they were to meet in person.

Upon his arrest, as he waited for the child to arrive, he refused to give the attending officers the password to his phone.

He was charged the same day with multiple offences, including arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and attempted sexual communication with a child.

Sussams was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday.

Upon release, he will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be placed on the sex offender register.