Chelmsford paedophile pleads guilty to having indecent virtual reality images
Daren Anthony Jones, 58, pleaded guilty to ten offences, including possession of a paedophile manual.
A man, who was in possession of a paedophile manual and indecent images of children on a Virtual Reality headset has pleaded guilty to ten offences.
Daren Anthony Jones, 58 of Burgess Field, Chelmsford appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 27 February, where he pleaded guilty to ten offences, including possession of a paedophile manual.
An investigation into Jones was launched in August 2023, after our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) received information of him creating and being in possession of indecent images of children. A warrant was quickly executed at Jones’ home address in Chelmsford.
Several electronic devices were seized including two Virtual Reality headsets. Digital enquiries revealed that the headsets had accessed multiple pornographic videos involving underage children.
Officers also found Jones to be in possession of a paedophile manual, which contained disturbing detail around how to make contact with children and avoid being caught by the police.
Jones’ had been released with bail conditions whilst these enquiries were ongoing.
On Monday, 26 February, our officers acted quickly after receiving a report of Jones taking pictures of children in the Chelmer Village area of Chelmsford on Monday, 26 February. Officers attended the scene quickly, and despite Jones’ attempts to delete the images, CCTV enquiries supported the allegations against him.
He was quickly charged with the following:
Four counts of making indecent photographs of a child
Possession of extreme pornographic images portraying act likely to result in serious injury
Possession of extreme pornographic images portraying act which involved sexual interference with a corpse.
Possession of extreme pornographic images portraying act of intercourse with an animal
Possession of a paedophile manual
Possession of a prohibited image of a child
Taking an indecent photo of a child
After pleading guilty to all offences yesterday (27 February) Jones was remanded into custody. He will next appear in court on 1 April.
Detective Inspector Emma Portfleet said “Jones has proven himself to be a dangerous individual and the evidence presented by our POLIT team has resulted in this guilty plea.
“This was the first investigation within POLIT where we have located indecent images of children on Virtual Reality headsets. As disturbing as this is, I can assure the public that we are trained gathering the intelligence around these images and we will always act quickly to facilitate an arrest.
“As technology develops, offenders will use this to try disguise their criminality. Our team is one step ahead and we will continue to work hard to protect vulnerable people.
“I would like to commend our officers, who have work tirelessly on this case which has undoubtedly been distressing for them. Despite having to view graphic evidence, they do this to keep people safe and we will continue to support them throughout investigations. I would also like to commend the member of the public who confronted Jones in Chelmsford on Monday.”