Man who travelled 300 miles to rape child jailed
Jason Martin was arrested at Newcastle's Central Station in August
- Published
A man who travelled hundreds of miles to rape an 11-year-old girl has been jailed for almost eight years.
Jason Martin, 55, thought he had arranged to pay £100 for sex with the child but had actually been caught in a police sting operation, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
After he was arrested at Newcastle's Central Station, having travelled by train from Maidstone in Kent, he told police he came to the area to visit the County Durham town of Barnard Castle.
Martin admitted arranging a child sex offence and was jailed for seven years and 10 months.
Undercover police set up a profile on a chatroom in July with a username suggesting the person had a "daughter for sale", prosecutor Nicholas Lane said.
Martin, of Lower Road in Maidstone, messaged to say "yes please" and "how old?", the court heard.
Discussions continued for several weeks during which time he was sent pictures of the fictitious girl, Mr Lane said.
Martin also said it would be "kinky" to have sex with the girl in front of her mother, the court heard.
'High risk to children'
Having made what he thought was an arrangement to meet the girl at a hotel in central Newcastle, Martin caught the train on 14 August where he was met at the station ticket barrier by police, the court heard.
He asked officers how they knew what he looked like, Mr Lane said.
When he was arrested, the wallpaper image on his mobile phone was one of the pictures of the girl he had been sent, the court heard.
The father-of-one told officers he did not believe the arrangement was real and had made the more than 300 mile (480km) journey north to visit Barnard Castle
Judge Robert Spragg said, even though the girl did not exist, Martin had believed the child was being sold for sex by a parent which made her more vulnerable.
He said the probation service concluded Martin posed a "high risk of serious harm to children".
Martin was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order to last indefinitely and must sign the sex offenders register for life.
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