Paedophile told man he wanted to rape daughter

Anthony Crozier admitted multiple child sex offences

A paedophile who thought he was arranging with a father to rape the man's seven-year-old daughter has been jailed.

Anthony Crozier, 54, told a man online he would bring sweets for the girl and asked for a pair of pants worn by the girl's nine-year-old brother, Teesside Crown Court heard.

In reality, the man was an undercover police officer and "happily" neither of the children existed, Judge Richard Clews said.

Crozier, from Seaham, was jailed for six years with a further two years on extended licence after admitting offences including arranging the commission of a child sex offence and possessing indecent images of children.

Crozier first messaged the man on a pornography website on 14 May, Judge Clews said, and "made no secret of the fact" he was sexually attracted to children aged between one and 10 years old.

The covert officer told Crozier he had two children, a seven-year-old girl and nine-year-old boy, with Crozier detailing what sexual acts he wanted to perform, the court heard.

'Risk to children'

Judge Clews said Crozier's conversations were "very deeply disturbing" and "would cause any right-thinking person to recoil in horror at the thought" of what he wanted to do.

Had the children been real and the rape of the girl carried out, the child would have suffered "significant" and probably lifelong harm, the judge said.

The court heard Crozier told the father he would bring lubricant and sweets for the girl and also asked for underwear her brother had worn in school.

Judge Clews said there was "no doubt" Crozier thought he was going to be able to rape the girl and was "in effect persuading the person who ought to have regard of her safety" to allow her to be abused for "perverted sexual purposes".

The court also heard Crozier told probation officers he did not have a sexual interest in children and was actually trying to get the attention of the father, but the judge rejected this.

He said Crozier posed a high risk of serious harm to children and was a "dangerous" offender.

A sexual harm prevention order was also made and Crozier will have to sign the sex offender register for life.