Description
This is the first picture of a city paedophile who 'tried to meet a seven-year-old child for sex'. Richard Davies has been jailed after sending a series of indecent images of children.
The 42-year-old, from Erdington, spent weeks chatting online to a person he believed was a fellow sex offender. He sent explicit and graphic messages which described his sexual interest in kids.
He communicated on various social media platforms and tried to set up a meeting where he would have sex with a young girl. Police said this included the possibility of meeting at a car park in Sutton Coldfield.
He also sent a series of indecent images of children ranging from category A - the most extreme type of abuse - to class B and CC, police said. The force said they had identified and arrested Davies in January 2021.
The investigation was carried out by West Midlands Police along with the assistance of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit. Davies answered no comment in interview and denied he had a sexual interest in children or that he had arranged to meet a child.
He pleaded not guilty to the offences between September 2020 and January 2021, but was convicted by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court on April 18. He was sentenced to seven-years and six-months in prison. He will also be on the Sex Offenders Register and is banned from working with children as well as being subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life.
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Lisa Jackson, form the force's Priority and Vulnerabilities Team, said: "This was an excellent piece of work by all the officers involved, putting away a highly dangerous offender. The messages Davies sent were some of the most horrific we have encountered and included a number of appalling images of child abuse.
"Davies tried to claim he was not guilty throughout the case, but we were able to put together a strong case to secure a conviction."