HOLYWELL SEX OFFENDER STEVEN JONES SENTENCED AFTER ONLINE PREDATION IN FLINTSHIRE

In April 2021, a serious case of online predatory behavior involving a convicted sex offender from Holywell, Flintshire, came to light, leading to his immediate arrest and subsequent sentencing. Steven Benjamin Jones, aged 37, of High Street in Holywell, was brought before Mold Crown Court via a video link from HMP Berwyn, where he faced multiple charges related to his disturbing online activities.

Jones pleaded guilty to 16 counts of sexual offences, which included attempting to communicate with a minor in a sexual manner and soliciting young girls for sexual activities. The court also found that he had been involved in the distribution and possession of indecent images of children, a serious breach of a previously imposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

During the hearing on April 1, the prosecution, led by Brian Treadwell, recounted Jones's criminal history, noting that he was convicted in 2018 by Mold Crown Court for similar offences. As a result, Jones was subjected to a SHPO and served 14 months in prison. However, after his release, Jones’s activities did not cease. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he was targeted by a vigilante group that posed as a child online, aiming to catch him in the act of predatory behavior.

The court was informed that a social media profile under the pseudonym ‘Tegan’ initiated contact with Jones, making it clear she was only nine years old. The conversations began on May 10, with Jones using a fake profile picture and a false age, claiming to be 30. The decoy girl repeatedly confirmed her age and asked if she was ‘too young for him,’ to which Jones responded that her age was ‘perfect.’

Jones urged ‘Tegan’ to keep their conversations secret and requested her to send pictures. Shockingly, he also sent indecent images of his genitals to what he believed was a child. The conversation escalated further as Jones shared videos involving pre-teen children engaged in sexual acts and asked if ‘Tegan’ liked such content.

In addition to this, Jones contacted another decoy, claiming to be a 14-year-old girl, using the same social media profile. The court revealed that his interactions with this second decoy quickly turned sexual. He demanded nude photographs and inquired about younger siblings, specifically mentioning a 10-year-old sister, and detailed sexual fantasies involving both girls.

Both decoys were members of a vigilante group dedicated to exposing online predators. They provided all the messages, images, and videos to North Wales Police for investigation. Jones was arrested on May 20 at his workplace. During police interviews, he admitted to all charges and confessed to having kept a secret iPhone for several months, which he did not disclose to authorities, thereby breaching his SHPO.

The seized device contained dozens of indecent images and videos of female children, ranging in age from as young as three years old to 16. In total, police found 82 images and videos. An examination of his internet search history revealed that Jones had been actively searching for child abuse material and was involved in sharing such images with others.

Further police interviews took place on October 16, approximately five months after his initial arrest. Jones maintained his guilt and was released on bail with conditions. However, between December 7 and 15, he made further contact with a decoy, this time on another social media platform. Undercover officers posing as a 13-year-old girl, named ‘Amy,’ received sexually explicit messages from Jones, who again used a fake name. He demanded pictures of her body, continuing his pattern of predatory online behavior.

Jones was eventually caught when ‘Amy’ was revealed to be an undercover police officer. The officer identified Jones through the matching phone number on the platform, leading to his re-arrest. His mobile phone was seized, and the messaging app used to contact ‘Amy’ was recovered, along with the message chains.

Judge Nicola Jones sentenced Jones to four years in prison, expressing her hope that he was genuinely committed to turning his life around. She emphasized the seriousness of his escalating offending, noting that he had distributed disturbing images of child abuse to what he believed was a child. The judge highlighted that Jones was aware of the wrongfulness of his actions, as he instructed the decoys to keep their conversations secret.

She condemned his continued predatory behavior, especially considering he was on bail for similar offences at the time. As part of her sentencing, Judge Jones imposed an indefinite ban through a new SHPO, prohibiting Jones from having any contact with girls under the age of 16. Additionally, all devices seized from him containing indecent images are to be destroyed, underscoring the court’s commitment to protecting children from such harmful individuals.