A 31-YEAR-OLD man who arranged to meet another man via the social media dating app Grindr to commit a sexual offence against a child has today been jailed for six years.
Mauricio Dorta Vinas, of Hopkins Close, in Old Eccleston, pleaded guilty to arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and was today sentenced to six years in custody and a further five years on licence.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for Life and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.
Dorta Vinas was arrested in May after arranging, via Grindr and a private messaging site, to meet another man to commit a sexual offence against a child.
Dorta Vinas used Grindt in an attempt to set up the abuse
Detective Constable Rob Deponeo, from Merseyside Police’s Abusive Images Unit, said: “Offenders often think that the internet will offer them complete anonymity to commit offences, but I can assure them that this is not the case.
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“Merseyside Police has specialist officers working tirelessly with other agencies to identify offenders, no matter where in the world they live or what devices they use.
"A massive amount of work is done by law enforcement agencies throughout the world to identify offenders, infiltrate their networks and uncover the evidence we need to put them behind bars and ensure that suitable safeguarding measures are put in place.
“We work with other UK forces, agencies and CEOP (the Child Exploitation Online Protection centre), as well as agencies in other countries who share our desire and determination to protect children from depraved and dangerous offenders.
"We will use every tactic and technological advancement available to ensure people cannot and do not get away with the terrible crimes they have committed.”
If you have concerns about someone’s online behaviour, contact Merseyside Police either by DM @MerPolCC, or by calling 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. If you suspect that the life of a child or adult is in immediate danger or a crime is ongoing dial 999.
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is the only UK-wide child protection charity dedicated solely to preventing child sexual abuse, and works with families that have been affected by sexual abuse.
You can contact them through their confidential and Freephone Stop it Now! Helpline on 0808 1000 900 or email help@stopitnow.org.uk – and more information is available at https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/
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