Man jailed after arranging Cheltenham child rape

Joseph Hopkinson had unknowingly been communicating with specialist police officers

A man who had unknowingly been speaking to police when he was arranging to meet a child to rape has been jailed.

Joseph Hopkinson, aged 39, travelled by train from Leicester to Cheltenham in August 2022 intending to rape a 10-year-old.

He had in fact been communicating with specialist police officers who arrested him as he arrived at Cheltenham railway station on 17 August.

Hopkinson has been sentenced to seven years and two months for the offence.

He has has remained behind bars since his arrest.

The 39-year-old was also found to have cannabis on him and in his home when it was searched by Leicestershire Police.

Switched to guilty plea

The 39-year-old, of St James Road in Leicester, denied the offences and was due to stand trial at Exeter Crown Court on 13 February.

However, he changed his pleas to guilty on what was meant to be the first day of his trial.

At Gloucester Crown Court on Tuesday he was jailed for seven years and two months for arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, namely the rape of a child under 13.

He was also sentenced to nine months for two drugs offences, to run concurrently.

'Significant harm'

Detective Inspector Simon Goodenough, from the child sexual exploitation and indecent images of children teams said: "Hopkinson has a clear sexual interest in children and was intent on causing them significant harm.

"He spent months communicating with the police operative about abhorrent things he was wanting to do to young children, and it was evident that he was planning to carry out his vile thoughts and ideas."

He added that police teams work "tirelessly" to pursue sexual predators who are intent on causing harm.

Officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) worked with Gloucestershire Constabulary's Indecent Images and Child Sexual Exploitation teams on the investigation.

Detective Inspector David Wells, from SWROCU's online investigations team, said: "There is no doubt Hopkinson posed a serious threat to children and the sentence handed to him reflects that."

Hopkinson has also been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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