Mark Bellas 54

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A man who travelled to Swindon with the intention of sexually abusing a child has today been jailed (23/1).

Mark Bellas, 54, from Harebell Gardens, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire was arrested in Swindon in October last year having travelled from his home address. He thought he was meeting a girl under the age of 13 who he was intending to sexually abuse. Instead, he was met by officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).  

At the time of his arrest, Bellas was on bail for distributing indecent images of children following an investigation by Bedfordshire Police. 

Today, at Swindon Crown Court, he was sentenced to 12 years with a five-year extended licence, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be required to be on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely. 

Bellas pleaded guilty to two counts of arranging orfacilitatingthe commission of a child sex offence,attemptingto cause or incite the sexual exploitation of a child and five counts of distributing indecent images of children. He has been remanded in custody since his arrest by SWROCU last year. 

DI Dave Wells from SWROCU said:

“Due to the strength of the evidence gathered by the police, Bellas had no option but to plead guilty. He is a dangerous individual who preys upon children to fulfil his sexual desires, and I welcome the sentence handed down to him today. 

“Specially trained officers are all across the internet rooting out and prosecuting individuals’ intent upon sexually abusing and exploiting children. We worked in collaboration with our colleagues at the Metropolitan Police and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) to bring Bellas to justice.”