Neal Hopkins: Paedophile jailed for abusing seven boys
- Published
Neal Hopkins admitted 26 charges, including paying a child for sex
A paedophile who trawled social media and online chat rooms to find teenage boys to abuse has been jailed for eight years.
Neal Hopkins incited seven victims aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual conversations with him and send him indecent photographs.
He met up with and abused five of them, and on one occasion paid his young victim, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard.
Hopkins, 46, admitted 26 charges.
When detectives seized his mobile phone after his arrest on 24 July, it was filled with indecent images of children and evidence of the abuse he carried out.
'Justice'
Police said his crimes were carried out in Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, North and South Wales and Yorkshire between 2013 and 2018.
Det Sgt Steve Chadwick said: "I would like to thank all of the young people for having the courage to report these matters to the police, and I hope this result has provided them with some justice when coming to terms with what they have experienced because of Hopkins's actions."
Hopkins, of Stone Road, Stoke-on-Trent, admitted 15 charges of sexual activity with a boy under the age of 16 and paying for sexual services of a boy, aged between 13 and 15.
He also admitted two charges of causing or inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, one count of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and causing or inciting a child aged 13 to 17 to engage in sexual activity.
He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, two counts of taking indecent photos of a child and one count of distributing indecent photos of a child.
- Published17 December 2018
- Published13 September 2018
