A former police inspector who arranged to meet and sexually abuse a young child has been jailed.

Glenn Jones, 56, from Tonbridge, who had worked as an inspector at Thames Valley Police, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years imprisonment with a further three years on licence at Guildford Crown Court today, after travelling to Sussex to abuse a young child on September 25 last year.

He had travelled 50 miles from his home in Tutsham Way to a shopping centre in Shoreham, but was greeted by officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) upon his arrival and then arrested.

The police investigation found that, between August 6 and September 26, Jones, a registered sex offender who has already served a sentence for making indecent images of children, had spent significant time arranging the meeting.

Despite stating he never intended to undertake any abuse and was just "curious", a jury unanimously found Jones guilty of the commission of an offence of sexual activity with a child, contrary to Section 9 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Detective Inspector Emily Evans, who led the investigation, said: “Jones had travelled a significant distance from his home in Kent with the full intention of meeting a child to abuse them.

“It is clear that he has not learned from his previous conviction, and I am therefore pleased that he has been handed a custodial sentence reflective of his abhorrent intentions.

“Child abuse is one of the most repugnant crimes we deal with, and I’d like to reassure everyone that reports of this nature will always be investigated fully and sensitively, regardless of the current or past profession of the parties involved.”

To report crime, call 101 or visit the local police force’s website.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.