Hammersmith Paedophile Trapped by Sting Operation
Anil Patel arrested after thinking he was meeting up with 13-year-old
February 23, 2024
A 31-year-old man from Hammersmith has admitted a number of charges relating to sexual abuse offenses against children after being caught in a police sting operation.
Anil Patel, who lives on the Great West Road, travelled to North Belfast thinking he was meeting with a 13-year-old girl who he had made contact with online between 27 June and 14 July last year.
In fact, he was communicating with the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Child Internet Protection Team who arrested him on arrival on 13 July 2023. He pleaded guilty to the offences which included attempted sexual communication with a child, arranging the commission of a child sex offence and possessing extreme pornography of children on Wednesday 21 February.
Detective Inspector Richard Vasey said, “Anil Patel had travelled from London to Belfast attempting to meet what he thought was a 13 year old girl, however, he had actually been communicating with our undercover police officers.
“He sent explicit messages to the person he had met online and talked about meeting in real life.
“I want to send a strong message today that my team are working around the clock to identify and bring people before the courts who think their online offending can go undetected.
“It is our absolute priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities and we will continue to proactively target those who contribute to the cycle of child abuse. I would encourage anyone with concerns or information to get in contact us on 101 or 999 in an emergency. We will act on the information we receive.”
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