Mark Craig, 56, has been jailed after sending messages about sexually abusing children to a man he believed had access to young girls – he was actually speaking to a police officer
A man who encouraged the rape of a baby and an eight-year-old child has been jailed.
Mark Craig sent descriptive messages about sexually abusing children to a man he believed had access to young girls, including a baby.
Craig, 56, sent explicit images and videos of himself and persisted to send messages to the man in February this year. But he didn’t realise he was actually speaking to a police officer who was carrying out an investigation.
He has now been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court following a complex police operation by officers from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), Chronicle Live reports.
Officers arrested Craig in March and he was subsequently charged with arrange/facilitate the commission of a child sex offence, making an indecent image of a child and distributing an indecent image of a child. Craig appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and pleaded guilty to all charges.
Craig, from the Westerhope area in Newcastle, appeared before the same court on Friday and was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.
Speaking after the sentencing, NEROCU Detective Inspector Hull said: “Thankfully this investigation has resulted in the sentencing of a dangerous paedophile who was a serious threat to children.
“This was down to the hard work of officers who do an incredibly difficult job trying to identify these predators and bring them to justice.
“Under Operation Sentinel, our regional approach to tacking serious and organised crime, we will continue to investigate these online offences to safeguard children.”
If you have concerns about child abuse or want to report a crime, then you can contact your local police force via their website or by calling 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
