Ciaran Clark, a man from Widnes, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to engage in sexual activity with an individual he believed to be a 12-year-old girl online.
Ciaran Clark, residing on Ross Street, Widnes, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 17 March after admitting to orchestrating or facilitating a child sex offence—specifically, the rape or assault by penetration of a child under 13—and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a minor as an adult.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was mandated to register on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Officers from Cheshire Constabulary’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) were notified of Ciaran Clark’s illicit conduct after an undercover officer posing as a 12-year-old child apprehended him during an online chatroom interaction. Detectives promptly apprehended the 46-year-old on 31 December 2024.
The detectives remained on duty to ensure he was charged and remanded on New Years Day.
DC Faye Taylor from Cheshire Constabulary’s OCAIT team said:
“Ciaran Clark was unaware he was sending his warped messaging to an undercover officer. He’d even booked a hotel room in anticipation of meeting the child.
“This is what makes us so determined to catch these people and stay on duty to make sure they are remanded into custody. Even though he was talking to an adult, he was unaware, and the intent was there – his messages were despicable.
“As a team we are driven to stop people like Ciaran Clark in their tracks and we will do all we possibly can to protect children at risk from these predatory paedophiles.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.