In 2025, the Offender Database reported that Mark Jeffery, then 42, of South View, Penryn, Cornwall, narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence at Truro Crown Court. Jeffery, who worked at Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, Cornwall, was caught in a serious undercover police operation after he initiated sexual communication with what he believed was a 13-year-old girl on the messaging app Kik. The investigation revealed that Jeffery was not only grooming a child but was also a vile distributor of child abuse material within networks of “like-minded” predators.
The court heard horrendous details of the 2023 investigation, in which Jeffery told the undercover officer that she was “a gorgeous baby” and offered to pick her up for a “memorable day.” He vilely sent the child pictures of his bare chest and his erect penis while inquiring about her sexual experience. When Cornwall Police raided his workplace, Jeffery engaged in a deplorable attempt to hide his crimes by denying he had a phone and refusing to provide his PIN once the device was discovered on top of his locker.
Forensic analysis of a second phone found at his Penryn home uncovered a sickening collection of images featuring children aged between two and 16. These spanned all categories of severity and included “prohibited images” of extreme pornography, specifically depicting a dog and a child performing a sexual act. Despite the serious and vicious nature of his digital footprint, his defence claimed the behaviour was a “coping mechanism” for cocaine use. It cited his “profound” health issues and role as a carer for his mother as reasons for leniency.
As a result of his convictions for these vile sexual crimes, Mark Jeffery was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years. Recorder Malcolm Gibney told Jeffery he was “very lucky” not to be sent straight to custody, a decision mainly made to prevent his mother from suffering. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Devon and Cornwall Police, and any breach of his strict digital monitoring in Penryn, Falmouth, or elsewhere will result in his immediate imprisonment.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by the individuals highlighted on this website, please report them to the Police on 101 (999 in an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details on reporting a crime. You can also report to Crimestoppers if you wish to remain completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.