December 24, 2012 10.15 am This story is over 140 months old

Dangerous Lincoln sex offender jailed

Convicted sex offender: A 62-year-old Lincoln man was given a six year jail for the possession, taking and distribution of indecent images of children.

A 62-year-old Lincoln man was given a six year jail term with a four year extension for the possession, taking and distribution of indecent images of children.

David Mellor of Walford Drive in Lincoln was convicted and jailed for three years for child abuse charges in 2006 as well as a breached a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

In January of this year the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre received information about child abuse images that had been uploaded to an image hosting website. CEOP analysed the images and quickly identified a geographical area in which the images were taken. After narrowing down the location, the case was passed to Lincolnshire Police.

Officers from Lincolnshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Team studied the images closely and managed to narrow the location to a street in the city. Further research led to a single address being pinpointed and the arrest of Mellor.

As a result of this investigation two girls under the age of 13 were safeguarded from contact with Mellor.

DI Sean Baxter said: “We hope this investigation and subsequent conviction demonstrates to people in Lincolnshire how effective we and our partners at CEOP are in terms of tackling this type of crime.

“The expertise of CEOP staff and the local knowledge and determination of our Lincolnshire Internet Child Abuse Team officers has enabled us to put this dangerous sex offender behind bars.

“Perhaps most importantly, it also led to the safeguarding of two young children, who are now living in another part of the country.”

Peter Davies, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP), and formerly Assistant Chief Constable at Lincolnshire Police, said: “This case is yet another excellent example of the way specialist officers at CEOP work and support the efforts of police officers around the country who tackle these appalling crimes.

“It also shows the reach of CEOP through our close work with law enforcement and other partners all over the world. Offenders may think their activities are anonymous online but this is simply not the case. They can and will be found and have to face the consequences of their actions.”