46-year-old Paul Elvins has been jailed for more than 4 years after pleading guilty to attempting to meet an underage boy for sex and sending sexual communications to 21 other children on social media platforms.
Elvins, formally of St John’s Road in Sandown, was sentenced on Friday after admitting to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, 2 counts of sexual communication with a child, 17 counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, and attempting to pay £40 for the sexual services of a child.
The disgraced care worker, who worked with disabled adults, thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old boy and arranged to meet with him for sex, but it was actually an undercover police officer.
When Elvins was arrested at his place of work, the police checked his phone and found evidence of other communications he had sent to 21 different children – all of whom were under 16 years of age.
Judge Barry McElduff sentenced Elvins to 4 years and 8 months behind bars and made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Emma Lile, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said:
“We worked with Hampshire police officers from a very early stage in the investigation of this case to ensure we had all the evidence we needed to prove Elvins was guilty.
“As a result of this early engagement and our strong partnership working, Elvins admitted his guilt to all offences at the first opportunity.
Article continues below this advertisement “Thankfully, Elvins was caught by an undercover officer rather than meeting with a real 13-year-old boy, but that’s not to say that the other children Elvins contacted on social media will not have been deeply affected by his behaviour.
“We are committed to keeping children safe from those who seek to prey on them using the internet and social media platforms. Perpetrators should know that we will prosecute you whenever our legal test is met.”
With time on remand taken into account and an automatic early release, Paul Elvins could be back on the streets by June 2024.
The Law is an Ass…..no detergent at all.
I mentioned deterent…sorry.
Detergent would be more affective in helping Mr Elvins remember he will always be found out and should count himself lucky it was a police sting and not the father of one of the children he has been grooming.
4 years and a few months is hardly a suitable sentence.
Totally agree but let’s not forget what paedophiles get in prison too and I don’t mean cosy! Should make his life a living hell.
The trouble is Mandy that he will be in a prison full of like minded perverts who will feed off each other’s crimes. They will have 3 square meals a day and supper, gym and education facilities, no cost of living worries like the rest of us, access almost immediately to health and dentist services with the only downside being locked up at night. Ideally they should be mixed with the most violent criminals to mete out proper retribution.
Just get rid of this vermin!!
Yes he is guilty and yes he has been given a rubbish sentence but the main issue here is also the fact the first contact was mainly by his phone, and presumably the internet or www. Any child who has a mobile needs their parents to ensure they are safe when using it and make sure they tell there children about the type of people who will use this for of contact for their own means. I do sometimes wonder if parents control the use of mobile devices as much as they should.
Omg why only 4 years, he’s a disgusting excuse for a human being.
Which actually means just over 2 years. PATHETIC!!!! Needs proper justice with a very blunt knife and no anaesthetic and then locked up until he dies.
Its mad that paedophiles can go out on the streets prowling for kids alone but islanders wont rally together to hunt these guys down. Police cannot arrest an entire community. They BARELY arrest these fellows, so jus take justice into your own hands. The law obviously fails to protect and punish so the law is…by my reasoning redundant.
Use all nonces as guinea pig for various new drugs. Don’t use poor little animals
My bobbit shears are getting blunter lol I am still happy to assist in this job …..
And let’s not forget the innocent victims of this heinous crime !
Let’s hope they can recover from this traumatic ordeal and realise they are no way to blame …
It’s the low life that are to blame not you …
Shame they will be like for like in prison…
Should be fed to the dogs ….