Reading Man Jailed For Child Sex Attacks

5 September 2013, 16:43 | Updated: 5 September 2013, 16:46

A man from Reading’s been jailed for more than three years - for grooming two children online before arranging to meet and carry out sex offences against them.

Alex Barnes-Hines, 23, from Waverley Road, Reading, pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court to three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of meeting following grooming.

Police say the charges relate to two girls, aged 14 at the time of the offences.

He used Facebook to arrange to meet one of his victims before carrying out sex offences against her.

Text messages were found on the phone of the other victim, indicating he’d also carried out sex offences against her.

Det Con James Kyriacopoulos, of Reading Force CID, said. “Barnes-Hines was identified as a predatory paedophile and an extensive multi-agency investigation was carried out to bring him to justice.

“I hope the sentence delivered today sends out a strong message that this type of offence will not be tolerated and a robust approach is taken when investigating such allegations.

“I would like to praise the young victims for engaging with the criminal justice process and bringing a sex offender to justice.

“These were despicable offences involving underage victims who were contacted via social media and by mobile phone. Parents concerned about their children’s online activity can find relevant crime prevention advice on our website.”

For details on staying safe online visit the Crime Prevention section of the Thames Valley Police website.