A Manchester paedophile has been branded a danger to children after being jailed for a plan to abuse a child at an Air BnB property.
Jeremy Mason, 39, from Manchester, was sentenced to six years at Leeds Crown Court after admitting a catalogue of offences.
West Yorkshire Police have told how Mason, and his co-defendant Owen Daley's offending first came to light in December last year, after a friend of the victim contacted them the night he was supposed to meet Mason at an Air BnB in Huddersfield.
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Officers were able to trace the boy's phone communications and Mason was identified, located and arrested in 24 hours, Yorkshire Live reports.
Daley, 22, from Oxford, was located within a month through telecommunication enquiries. Analysis found the boy had first been contacted by a man who is still at large who passed his details to Mason and Daley.
Police recovered months of contact between the victim, Mason and Daley. Both defendants sent the boy sexual imagery and prepared for Mason to meet and sexually assault him.
As they were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, (August 19) both Mason and Daley were given lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and were ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life.
Mason pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited image of a child; possessing an extreme pornographic image portraying a sexual act with an animal; distributing an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child; causing a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity; two counts of causing or inciting a boy under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity; and three counts of making indecent images of a child.
Daley was also jailed for six years after admitting engaging in sexual communication with a child, two counts of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, two counts causing or inciting a boy under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child, possessing prohibited images of children, possessing an extreme pornographic image and two counts of distributing an indecent image or pseudo-photograph of a child.
Detective Sergeant Ben Howley of the Kirklees POLIT (Police Online Investigation Team) who led the investigation, said: "We welcome the sentences given to Mason and Daley for offences and further planned offending which can frankly be described as depraved.
"It is pure good fortune that Mason did not come into contact with the young man on the night he arranged a meeting. The victim continues to receive specialist safeguarding care and I wish to pay tribute to him and his family for supporting the prosecution.
"Their courage has helped us and CPS colleagues put these men, who pose an absolute danger to children, behind bars. We always advise victims of crime to come forwards and would anyone or any families of children being contacted via social media in such circumstances to contact West Yorkshire Police."
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