Named Hampshire paedophile who travelled to meet three boys exposed by police
The sex offender is already serving a jail term for previous offences
A child sex offender from Hampshire who travelled to meet three boys after contacting them online has been convicted.
Specialist officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) exposed sick paedophile Craig Travers, 39, formerly of Bournemouth Road, Chandlers Ford.
He pleaded guilty to nine charges at Lewes Crown Court on Monday which included five counts of taking indecent images of a child in relation to three victims, one count of distribution of an indecent image of a child, and three counts of making an indecent photo of a child.
A further count of distribution of an indecent image of a child and a count of causing a child to watch an image of sexual activity were left to lie on file.
Travers, who is already serving a prison sentence for child sexual offences, was charged with the latest offences on 30 April, via postal requisition.
Following examination of his phone and laptop, numerous chats and sexual images of children were found. From these, SEROCU officers identified three male victims under the age of 18, from Wiltshire, Sussex and Surrey, all of whom Travers had travelled to meet. He had predominately used Snapchat to make contact with the boys and also used Discord and Whatsapp messaging applications.
Detective Sergeant Lisa Betchley, of SEROCU, said: “Following an initial investigation into Craig Travers, officers were able to examine his digital devices and a number of further offences were identified. This led to the discovery of videos and images relating to these children, for which he has now pleaded guilty. Officers were able to identify and offer support to three boys whom Travers had met.
“If you have been a victim of child sexual abuse, please report this to your local police force by calling 101. We will always follow up on allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk to experienced investigators who are trained to deal with this sensitively and we can also help to provide access to a range of other support services.”
Support organisations can be contacted at Childline, the CSA Centre, Barnado’s and Survivors’ Network.
If you, or someone you know, is seeking support or has concerns about child sexual abuse and its prevention, you can contact the Lucy Faithfull Foundation for confidential support via the Stop It Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900.
Travers was remanded in custody to be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on 22 October.