Doncaster sex offender is jailed after being snared in online sting

Registered sex offender Andrew Bowes has been jailed after an investigation by officers in Doncaster's Protecting Vulnerable People unit after he was found guilty of swapping messages with a decoy – believing he was chatting with a 14-year-old girl.

Bowes, 48, of Oakwood Road, Balby, was arrested on 1 September after asking the ‘child’, who was actually a decoy from an online child activist group, to share indecent images of herself before suggesting they meet face-to-face.

After his arrest, a search of his phone led to the recovery of devices which showed the messages between Bowes and the decoy.

Bowes, who was handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in 2020, was jailed for three years at Sheffield Crown Court last Wednesday (25 September) after pleading guilty to three counts of breaching his SHPO, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence.

Investigations officer Fiona Booth, who was the officer in charge of this case, said: "Bowes believed he was speaking to a 14-year-old child, and yet he continued to make inappropriate sexual advances.

"A thorough search of his devices led to his crimes being exposed and in comments made prior to his arrest, he was heard saying 'I was only messing about', which shows how little responsibility he took for his actions.

"Bowes posed a high level of risk and we are pleased he has been given an immediate three-year custodial sentence.

"We will continue investigating the crimes of sex offenders like Bowes to stop them in their tracks and to keep children safe from online sexual predators."

You can report sex offences to South Yorkshire Police via 101, or 999 in an emergency.

You can also report online, with full details at the South Yorkshire Police website HERE

And you can also contact UK independent charity CrimeStoppers through their dedicated call centre where you can report information in confidence on 0800 555 111.