The 53-year-old barrister pretended to be an 18-year-old to arrange cross-country encounters with 13-year-olds
A UK barrister has been charged with child sexual offences by the Oxford Crown Court.
A jury found 53-year-old Guy Sims guilty of three counts of facilitating commission of a child sex offence, the Law Society Gazette reported. The court sentenced him to 3 ½ years in prison.
According to Portsmouth.co.uk, Sims also faces disbarment.
The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) said in a statement that Bedford-based Sims pretended to be an 18-year-old on the social media platforms MyLOL and Kik. In September 2017, he proceeded to communicate with who he thought were two 13-year-old schoolgirls.
The “girls” were actually police officers.
Subsequently, Sims headed to Portsmouth from Cambridge in anticipation of a sexual encounter with one of the girls. He had brought with him cider, a condom and camouflage leaf netting, according to the officers who were waiting to arrest him when he arrived at the set location.
Sims had also arranged an encounter with another girl, which was set to take place either en route to Portsmouth or on his return trip.
In October 2019, Sims engaged in yet another conversation of a sexual nature with another person he thought was a 13-year-old schoolgirl while he was being investigated. He arranged for a sexual encounter in Oxford, and was charged on 31 October 2019.
SEROCU’s Detective Chief Inspector Philip Attwood highlighted Sims as a threat due to his repeated attempts to engage with who he thought were teenage girls.
“Sims worked as a civil barrister and should have recognised the consequences of this offending. He demonstrated that he was prepared to go to great lengths and travel across the country to Portsmouth, to Guildford and to Oxford to engage in depraved sexual activity with children,” Attwood said.
He emphasised the commitment of police to bringing online sexual predators to justice.
“Law enforcement operates across the Internet, and we are committed to ensuring those who use this means of communicating with those they believe to be children to arrange sexual abuse are brought before the courts to face justice,” Attwood said.
