Station paedophile posed 'serious danger' - police

A 74-year-old man branded a "serious danger to children" has been jailed after he was caught trying to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl he had groomed.

Stephen Greaves went to Sheffield Station on 26 July 2021 thinking he was meeting a teenager, but was intercepted by a paedophile hunter group that then contacted British Transport Police.

Greaves, of the Norfolk Park area of Sheffield, was arrested and officers found hundreds of messages between him and his intended victim.

He admitted five charges, including attempting to meet a child under 16 following grooming, and was jailed for two years and eight months at Sheffield Crown Court on 31 July.

Greaves was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

During analysis of his phone, detectives found other conversations with girls he believed were under age, and child sex abuse material including two videos in the most severe category.

Greaves also admitted attempting to incite a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and two counts of making indecent images of children.

He denied three other similar charges that will remain on file.

Det Con Lee Walker said Greaves posed a "serious danger to children".

"He has demonstrated a clear sexual interest in them," he said.

"He spent weeks grooming who he believed was a teenage girl, sending vile and explicit messages before travelling to the station with Viagra for what he thought would be a sexual encounter.

"Our investigation uncovered the full extent of his offending.

"Through forensic examination of thousands of gigabytes of data from his phone, we unearthed abhorrent child sexual abuse material.

"Thankfully Greaves is now behind bars and no longer able to prey on children."

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