Mark Owen, the Stonebridge Paedophile, was apprehended after a sting operation conducted by a vigilante group, and was proposed to in court by his girlfriend as he was sent to prison.
Vicky Owen said, “Baby, I love you; will you marry me?” to Mark Owen as the 53-year-old was sentenced to 22 months in prison at Harrow Crown Court on June 27.
He said, “Will do,” while a perplexed Judge John Lodge gazed over his glasses, and Ms Owen expressed her apologies for the interruption. Mark Owen, residing at Brentfield House, Stonebridge, had previously admitted guilt to three offences: sexual communication, grooming, and incitement to sexual behaviour.
This follows the actions of the vigilante group COBRA UK, which spoke with the Metropolitan Police, revealing that he had engaged with a 14-year-old decoy over five days last year, according to MyLondon.
Prosecutor Dipan Varsani elucidated that Mark Owen transmitted a photograph of his genitalia to the decoy, referred to as ‘Jessika’, and requested that she reciprocate with an image of herself in the shower. The court also reviewed compromising messages in which Mark Owen expressed a desire to ‘make love’ to the girl and requested that she don a short skirt to facilitate access between her legs during their encounter.
Mr Varsani stated: “We are aware that the intended meeting was to engage in intimate relations and to caress her in the genital area.” He requested that she don a mini-skirt so that he could place his hand beneath it upon their meeting.
Mr Varsani stated, “Mark Owen also transmitted inappropriate messages, fully aware that the recipient was a 14-year-old.” He transmitted an image of his genitalia and solicited improper images from the decoy child.
Defending Nick Wells characterised his unemployed client as “utterly naïve and pitiable” after the individual impersonated a mechanic and conversed with the decoy over his preferred football team and cuisine.
Mr Wells stated: “He is not a sex offender, he lacks a history of paedophilia, and he does not believe he would have proceeded with it.” He appears, in numerous respects, as a pitiable individual; he is a chronic alcoholic and has not experienced a prosperous life.
“It constitutes a profound personal humiliation for him, contradicting his entire self-image,” Mr Wells remarked. He feigned being a mechanic to deceive this decoy; however, he is unemployed. The pinnacle of this is ‘making love,’ while the remainder is merely lamentable.
Chelsea supporter Mark Owen had already spent almost five months in detention when he stood, arms crossed, in a grey tracksuit before the judge. Judge Lodge clarified that the gravest charge of promoting sexual activity was classified as a lesser degree of injury due to the ambiguity around the likelihood of complete penetrative sex occurring, and the utilisation of a decoy provided a little mitigation since Jessika was “not a real child”.
Judge Lodge imposed a sentence of 22 months of incarceration on Mark Owen for instigating sexual activity with a minor, along with six months for both sexual communication and grooming offences. He will serve half of his sentence in detention and is registered on the Sex Offenders Register for a duration of 10 years.
Vicky Owen identified herself as Mark Owen’s girlfriend at the commencement of the hearing, then stood up to propose to him while he was incarcerated. Prior to departing the courtroom, she requested clarity from Judge Lodge regarding her fiancé’s sentencing.
MyLondon approached paedophile lover Ms Owen outside the courthouse; however, she declined to provide a remark.
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