A MAN from Dublin who attempted to arrange to meet a six-year-old girl to sexually abuse her has been jailed.
Adrian O'Reilly, 49, flew to London believing he was meeting a contact he had been communicating with online, who would then take him to meet the child.
However, the child was fictitious and the person O'Reilly had been communicating with was an undercover police officer.
"Our pursuit of those who engage in illegal sexual activity with children is relentless and we will use a range of tactics to identify and arrest those responsible," said Detective Constable Ed Hickford.
Viagra and condoms
O'Reilly came to police attention in January 2023 when he exchanged messages with an undercover officer posing as another internet user.
In these messages, he discussed his desire to arrange to meet and abuse a young girl.
On March 29, 2023, O'Reilly flew to London and then travelled to Stratford, where he believed he would meet his contact before travelling on to meet the child.
However, when he arrived at the rendezvous point in Stratford, he was arrested by Met police officers.
When searched, officers found O'Reilly in possession of items including Viagra and condoms.
O'Reilly subsequently pleaded guilty to arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and was this week sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown to six years and nine months' imprisonment
He was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be subject to lifetime notification requirements.
'Vile' messages
DC Hickford suggested the lengths that O'Reilly went to showed he had every intention of acting on 'vile' messages he had shared with the undercover officer.
"In this case, O'Reilly thought he was communicating with a person who was offering access to a young girl," he said.
"His messages were vile and he endorsed these by getting on a plane and flying to London with the intention to carry out this abuse.
"However, he was greeted by my team who arrested him and compiled a wealth of evidence which left him with no choice but to plead guilty."
