Locations
Grove Road, Rotherham, S63
Description
A Rotherham man has been jailed for child sex offences after he was caught by an undercover officer.
Anthony Barker, 52, of Grove Road, thought he was speaking to an accomplice when he planned to sexually assault a young girl, but was actually communicating with an undercover officer with a decoy account.
Barker believed his would-be victim was nine years old, and he intentionally arranged to sexually assault them during his online communication with the decoy account between 5 and 22 January 2026.
Thankfully, the profile that Barker was communicating with online was an account run by an undercover officer within the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) with the aim of catching those who intend to abuse children before they have the chance to act.
The ROCU team passed the evidence from their communication with Barker to our officers and Barker was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences on 22 January.
Following a search of his address and examination of his mobile phone, he was charged with arranging to commit an offence of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, possession of an indecent image of a child, and making indecent images of children.
Barker pleaded not guilty to the offences, but was found guilty of each charge following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday 5 June.
He was sentenced the same day to seven years imprisonment and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Investigations Officer Hannah Goodwin, the officer in charge of the case, said:
“Barker’s offending is incredibly disturbing, and through collaborative working with the ROCU we gathered crucial evidence that helped to see him jailed.
“The Internet Sex Offences Team worked hard to build a case against Barker, and despite him pleading not guilty, his disgusting digital footprint spoke for itself and he was found guilty.
“We remain committed to protecting young people online and we will continue our work to bring online predators to justice before they can put their sick plans into action.”