Locations
Ross Street, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8
Description
A predator booked a hotel to meet with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl for sex. Police officers were alerted to Ciaran Clark, from Ross Street in Widnes, after he was caught in the act by an undercover officer pretending to be a 12-year-old child in an online chatroom.
The 46-year-old had even booked a hotel room in anticipation of meeting the child. Detectives immediately arrested the 46-year-old on December 31 last year and he was charged and remanded on New Year's Day.
Clark appeared at Chester Crown Court on March 17 to be sentenced after pleading guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence - rape / assault by penetration of child under 13, and being an adult attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was jailed for 10 years.
As well as the jail term he was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. DC Faye Taylor from Cheshire Constabulary’s OCAIT team said: “Clark was unaware he was sending his warped messaging to an undercover officer. He’d even booked a hotel room in anticipation of meeting the child.
“This is what makes us so determined to catch these people and stay on duty to make sure they are remanded into custody. Even though he was talking to an adult, he was unaware, and the intent was there - his messages were despicable.
“As a team we are driven to stop people like Clark in their tracks and we will do all we possibly can to protect children at risk from these predatory paedophiles.”