Hampshire Constabulary says proactive work by its police officers has helped them target paedophiles on the Isle of Wight - leading to the jailing of two men, in unconnected cases.
Paul Allen and Paul Elvins (pictured above) are both behind bars as a result of the officers' work.
Today (Tuesday, May 31), Paul Allen, 38 years, of Hinton Road in Newport, was jailed for 16 years, following an investigation led by the Isle of Wight Investigations Team, supported by South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).
He was arrested by police September 27, 2021, on suspicion of arranging the commission of a child sexual offence.
He had been speaking on a number of online platforms with a person who he believed to be a child and agreed to meet them at Newport's Victoria Recreation Ground.
It was, in fact, a police officer and Allen was arrested and subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence, and possession of cannabis, both of which he pleaded guilty to during a hearing at the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court in September.
What was the timeline of Paul Allen's Isle of Wight arrest and jailing for child sexual offences and drugs charges?
A few days later, on October 3, police received a report that Allen had sexually abused a teenage boy over the summer.
Hampshire Constabulary was told the 14-year-old child had met Allen over the dating app Grindr, in March 2021.
The pair communicated over Whatsapp, where Allen shared explicit images of himself.
The pair met in person and the boy was abused by Allen, including an incident in June where Allen seriously sexually assaulted the boy in woodland in the Carisbrooke area.
Allen was arrested again, before being charged with further offences.
While he was remanded, police continued to examine data on his phone.
They discovered he had previously messaged other children via WhatsApp, Snapchat, Grindr and Kik.
He had also sent indecent images of children and had also abused another teenage boy, between 2014 and 2016.
Other messages on the phone indicated he had tried to sell cannabis to people around the Newport area and he was charged with further offences.
- Appearing at Winchester Crown Court on Monday, April 25, Allen admitted:
- 2 counts of meeting a boy under 16 following grooming
- 6 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child
- 4 counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a boy aged 13-15
- 3 counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child
- 2 counts of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence
- Causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity
- Offering to supply cannabis
Today, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison with an extended licence period of six years.
Who is Paul Elvins and how and why was he arrested on the Isle of Wight?
Hampshire Constabulary says a similar operation led to the recent unconnected arrest of 46-year-old Paul Elvins, formerly of St Johns Road in Sandown.
Elvins has also struck up a conversation online with someone he believed to be a child.
Read more: Police catch paedophile by setting up fake Grindr account
On November 2, 2021, Elvins was arrested and subsequently charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
He was remanded in custody whilst Isle of Wight officers conducted further enquiries and continued to interrogate his digital devices.
In January, he was charged with 19 further offences:
- 16 counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
- One count of attempting to cause/incite the sexual exploitation of a child aged 13-17
- 2 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child
He admitted all of the offences in court and on May 6 and was jailed for 4 years and 8 months.
If you need help and support...
Hampton Trust ISVA service: www.hamptontrust.org.uk; or Adult ISVA Service (18+) on 07376083950 or 07776959829; and for Children contact 07435996248
Report sexual abuse to police on 101 or on the Hampshire Constabulary website
Stop It Now helpline (part of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation): https://www.stopitnow.org.uk/
Chief Inspector Alex Charge said: "These investigations uncovered an appalling catalogue of child sex offences. I am grateful to all of the detectives and officers who worked incredibly hard to establish the full extent of the offending by these men, both in the lead up to and following their arrests.
"Allen and Elvins are dangerous men who pose a risk to children, and I hope the public remain reassured that officers on the Island are making every effort, and utilising every tactic available to them to identify perpetrators of this type of abuse, bring them to justice, and safeguard the children who have been harmed.
"We will continue to target these offenders as a priority, and we encourage anyone who has been impacted by this kind of abuse to please get in touch with police so that our specially trained officers can listen to you, protect you, and provide you with the support you need.
"Not everyone has the confidence to speak to police. We recognise this and want those who aren’t comfortable talking to police to know that there are other support agencies out there that can help you."
Detective Inspector James Oxley, of SEROCU, said: “These convictions send out a clear message to those who use the internet to attempt to abuse children - every effort will be made to ensure you face the consequences of your actions.
“The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit worked closely in collaboration with Hampshire Constabulary on these cases as part of our commitment to make our communities safer, to ensure Allen and Elvins were no longer able to pose a danger to children and were brought to court to face justice.”
Of Paul Allen's arrest, Emma Lile, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said: “The CPS worked with Hampshire Police from the outset to make sure there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Paul Allen for these sickening crimes involving children.
“Our proactive partnership secured guilty pleas from Allen, which at least spared the children the further pain of having to relive their trauma at a trial.
“His crimes will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on them, but I hope that today’s sentence will provide a small sense of closure to the victims and their families.”
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