Portishead sex offender jailed after planning to abuse young girls

Hemus arranged to meet young girls at an airport hotel so that he could sexually abuse them, the NCA said

A registered sex offender packed sweets and toys to give to young girls he planned to meet and sexually abuse at an airport hotel.

Mark Hemus, 37, from Portishead, North Somerset, was caught by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after discussing his sexual interest in children online.

The IT engineer was arrested in October last year after checking into the Premier Inn at Heathrow.

He was sentenced on Friday at Isleworth Crown Court to two years in jail.

The NCA said that Hemus had been speaking with other paedophiles on several online chat platforms.

Using a pseudonym, he arranged to meet two girls, aged eight and 11, who another user said he had access to.

Rucksack of toys

He then spoke openly with his contact about what sexual acts could be carried out on them.

After he was arrested at the hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4, officers recovered a rucksack which contained Fruit Shoot drinks, sweets and toys.

Hemus initially told officers he had travelled to London for a medical appointment which was then cancelled, but later admitted he had planned to carry out the sexual abuse.

He claimed he would not have gone through with it as he was scared.

Hemus has previous convictions for indecent images of children offences in 2005 and 2020, and is currently subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) banning him from using false IP addresses, names or aliases online.

Hemus pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on 31 October last year to one count of arranging or facilitating the commission of sexual assault of a child, one count of breaching his SHPO and one count of possessing prohibited images of children.

'Real threat to children'

On Friday he was sentenced to four years in prison - two served in jail and two on licence.

The National Crime Agency's senior manager, Adam Priestley, said Hemus had "a clear intention to sexually abuse young girls".

"He is a persistent sexual offender who poses a real threat to children, so this investigation was vital in ensuring he is unable to carry out his intended crimes."