Paul Allen, 37, of Hinton Road in Newport, was sentenced to 16 years in prison today (May 31).
It is the result of an investigation led by the Isle of Wight Investigations Team and assisted by officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).
On September 27, 2021, Allen was arrested on suspicion of arranging the commission of a child sex offence.
He had been communicating with a person he believed to be a child on various online platforms and had agreed to meet this person at Newport Recreation Ground.
The person he had been speaking with was, in fact, a police officer, and Allen was arrested at the recreation ground.
He was then charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence and possessing cannabis, both of which he pleaded guilty to the following morning at the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court.
On October 3, police received a report that Allen had sexually abused a teenage boy during the summer.
According to police, the 14-year-old met Allen on the dating app Grindr in March 2021, and the two communicated via Whatsapp, where Allen shared explicit images of himself.
The pair met in person, and Allen abused the boy, including an incident in June in which Allen sexually assaulted the boy in woodland in the Carisbrooke area.
Allen was arrested once more before being charged with additional offences and remanded in custody.
During this time, while Allen was on remand, police continued to examine data on his phone, discovering that he had previously messaged other children via WhatsApp, Snapchat, Grindr, and Kik. He had also sent derogatory images of children, and investigations revealed that he had abused another teenage boy between 2014 and 2016.
Other phone messages revealed that Allen had attempted to sell cannabis to people in the Newport area.
Allen was charged with additional offences.
Allen admitted the following when he appeared in Winchester Crown Court on Monday, April 25, 2022:
2 counts of meeting a boy under 16 following grooming
6 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child
4 counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a boy aged 13-15
3 counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child
2 counts of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence
Causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity
Offering to supply cannabis
Appearing at the same court today (Tuesday 31 May), he was sentenced to 16 years in prison with an extended licence period of six years.
Officers arrested 46-year-old Paul Elvins, formerly of St Johns Road in Sandown, in a similar operation to target child sex abusers and concurrent to the investigation into Allen.
Elvins, like Allen, started a conversation online with someone he thought was a child.
Elvins was arrested and charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence on November 2, 2021.
He was remanded in custody while Isle of Wight officers conducted additional investigations and interrogated his digital devices.
Elvins was charged with 19 additional offences in January of this year:
16 counts of attempting to have sexual contact with a child
One count of attempting to cause/incite sexual exploitation of a child between the ages of 13 and 17.
2 counts of having sexual contact with a child
He admitted to all of the charges in court and was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in prison on May 6, this year.
Alex Charge, Chief Inspector:
“These investigations uncovered a shocking list of child sex offences.” I am grateful to all of the detectives and officers who worked tirelessly to determine the full extent of these men’s crimes, both before and after their arrests.
“Allen and Elvins are dangerous men who endanger children, and I hope the public is reassured that officers on the Island are making every effort and employing every tactic at their disposal to identify perpetrators of this type of abuse, bring them to justice, and protect the children who have been harmed.”
“We will continue to prioritise these offenders, and we urge anyone who has been impacted by this type of abuse to contact police so that our specially trained officers can listen to you, protect you, and provide you with the support you require.”
“Not everyone is comfortable speaking with police. We recognise this and want those who are hesitant to speak with police to know that there are other support organisations available to assist them.”
SEROCU Detective Inspector James Oxley stated:
These convictions send a clear message to those who use the internet to attempt to abuse children: you will face the consequences of your actions.
As part of our commitment to making our communities safer, the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit worked closely with Hampshire Constabulary on these cases to ensure Allen and Elvins were no longer able to pose a danger to children and were brought to court to face justice.
Hampton Trust’s Deputy CEO, Tracy Kent, stated:
Hampton Trust Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) play an important role in providing specialist tailored support to sexual violence victims and survivors, regardless of whether they have reported to the police.
“ISVAs provide the victim/survivor with unbiased information about all of their options, such as reporting to the police, accessing Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services, and specialist support such as pre-trial therapy and sexual violence counselling.”
“This service is provided at no cost to all IOW residents of any age, gender, or sexual orientation.”
An ISVA’s assistance is tailored to the victim’s or survivor’s identified needs. To learn more about the Hampton Trust ISVA service, go to www.hamptontrust.org.uk or call the Adult ISVA Service (18+) at 07376083950/07776959829.
