Jeffery Batty: Man drove 200 miles to Hampshire to meet child, 11 - but police were there waiting

Jeffery Batty, 50, was arrested after travelling four hours from Edingthorpe to the Rownhams Services between J3 and J4 of the M27.

He expected to be greeted by an 11-year-old child, whom he had plans to abuse, but was instead met by a swarm of police officers.

The officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit had already been investigating him for months.

Batty, of Rectory Road, Edingthorpe, was jailed after admitting several child sex offences at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday.

He was sentenced with an extended licence period of eight years and pleaded guilty to 17 charges in total.

Police said Batty travelled to Hampshire in January, 2019 but continued to commit offences after that, despite knowing he was being investigated.

This even continued after he was charged with arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and 11 offences of possession and distribution of indecent images in August last year.

That culminated in another arranged meeting with an eight-year-old child after being released on bail.

Batty was again greeted at the arranged meeting point by police officers and charged with five more offences.

They included arranging to meet another child for the purpose of sex and possessing and distributing indecent images and videos of children.

However, he was later remanded.

Batty will now be put on the sex offenders register for life and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Inspector Phil Attwood, from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: ‘Batty is clearly a depraved, dangerous individual who was fully committed to undertaking abhorrent abuse of children.

‘It is only right that he has received a lengthy prison sentence, and I’d like to highlight the work of the investigators involved in this case for ensuring that he was unable to carry out his sordid intentions.

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‘This investigation forms part of our continued priority to protect children from sexual exploitation from those who seek to do them harm, and I would urge anyone who has information on child abuse or is a victim to report it to your local police force right away via 101.

‘We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred, and victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators who will help them get access to a range of support.’