'Dangerous predator' from Witham in Essex jailed for more than 40 child sex offences

A "dangerous sexual predator" from Essex has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of more than 40 child sex offences.

When officers searched Jon Gordon's home in Gershwin Boulevard in Witham they found thousands of indecent images.

It came after a tip off in 2018 that the 43-year-old had been engaging in sexual communications with someone he thought was a 13-year-old child.

Gordon was arrested and 33 items were seized. On five of those, officers found more than 1,200 indecent images and videos of child abuse.

They also found a total of 6,500 conversations on Skype with 900 contacts of young people. Among these, officers found evidence he had communicated with boys and girls under the age of 18.

He was charged with 45 child sexual offence offences including sexual communications with a child, inciting a child to perform sexual acts, and indecent images of children offences.

He admitted the offences at Chelmsford Crown Court on 24 February and, at the same court last week, he was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison.

Det Sgt Samantha Lewin said: “Jon Gordon is a dangerous sexual predator who sought out and preyed upon underage boys and girls for his own sexual gratification.

“He had a huge library of child abuse images and videos and the sheer number of charges he admitted to highlights the scale of his offending.

“I have no doubt Essex is a safer place now he is behind bars.”