Today, 28th April 2023, a 31 year old man from the Moira area was sentenced at Craigavon Crown Court for offences including; attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Paul McKay will serve nine months in custody and nine months on licence. He will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and will be subjected to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for seven years.
Detective Inspector Richard Vasey said: “McKay, who thought he was sexually communicating with a 12 year old child online, had actually been communicating with an undercover police officer.
“Let this serve as a reminder to those who think they can go undetected in online spaces. We are everywhere. I have a highly dedicated team with specialised equipment who can trace any digital interaction right back to the persons front door. We continue to work robustly in this area to identify and bring perpetrators behind a screen, in front of a judge to answer for their crimes.
“If you are concerned that someone you know may be attempting to sexually communicate with a child please contact Police on 101 or 999 in case of emergency.”