Gavin Chivers, from Alton, was imprisoned for 23 offences, including trying to have sex with a minor and possessing pornographic photos.
Following an investigation by the Internet Child Abuse Team of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Gavin Chivers, 39, was detained on March 31 after it was determined that he had seen child abuse photos online.
During an interview, Chivers, of Russett Road in Alton, explained that he had accessed the pictures to gain the trust of criminals online so he could identify and denounce them.
When Chivers’ cell phone was searched, numerous conversations about child abuse and numerous offensive pictures and videos—many of which featured child sexual abuse—were found.
Chivers was charged with several felonies, but no proof was found to back up his allegation that he was trying to identify perpetrators.
Chivers entered a guilty plea to the following charges:
-Making a child’s indecent photo or pseudo-photograph three times
-One instance of taking a child’s obscene or phoney photo
-One count of having an extreme pornographic image or images depicting an animal having sex
-14 charges of disseminating a child’s obscene photo or pseudo-photograph
-Attempting to have sex with a minor on two occasions
-Publishing an offensive item on two occasions
He appeared at Winchester Crown Court today, Tuesday, June 23, and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
In addition, he was given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and required to sign the Sex Offenders Register.
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