A 61-year-old man who made plans to abuse a nine-year-old child has been jailed after an undercover police operation revealed his intentions.
Stephen Biles, of Riverside, Ringwood, had been communicating online and over the phone between January and March 2020 with what he believed to be another adult, discussing plans to abuse the adult’s niece at a hotel. However, the person he was speaking to was actually an undercover police officer from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), and the child did not exist.
Biles was arrested on April 1, 2020, at his home. Electronic devices seized during the arrest revealed 52 Category C indecent images of children.
Following further investigation by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAT), Biles was charged with making indecent images of children and two counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Although Biles pleaded guilty to the indecent images offence, he denied the other two charges. The case went to trial at Portsmouth Crown Court on September 4, 2024, where he was found guilty.
On Friday, September 27, Biles was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court to three years and nine months in prison. He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
The judge noted during sentencing that Biles had engaged in a “prolonged torrid exchange of messages over a period of time” and remarked that Biles “couldn’t let the prospect of meeting a child go.
PC Gemma Southcott from ICAT, who worked on the investigation, said: “This was a lengthy investigation utilising specialist tactics to target a man posing a very clear risk to children. Despite overwhelming evidence, Biles maintained his innocence, which only prolonged his inevitable conviction.
Detective Inspector Allen Hull, NEROCU Operation Lead, added: “This has been a great example of police partnership at its best, coming together to put a dangerous predator behind bars. We will continue to do all we can to protect children from harm, whether that be in-person or online.
