Daren Anthony Jones, 58, of Burgess Field, Chemlsford and attendee of Ilford Technical College has been charged with child sexual offences after reports of photos being taken of children. The Customer Service Assistant of Chelmsford Star Co-Op was caught with Indecent images on virtual reality headsets, and it is the first time in Essex such images have been found on virtual reality devices.
Jones appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on February 27, after being charged with ten offences, including possession of a paedophile manual.
An investigation was launched by Essex Police’s online investigations team in August 2023 following intelligence around indecent images of children online. An address was raided Chelmsford and several electronic devices were seized including virtual reality headsets.
Jones was released on bail but further arrested on February 26th following a report of a man taking images of children. He has now been charged with four counts of making indecent photographs of a child, three counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image, possession of a paedophile manual, possession of a prohibited image of a child and taking an indecent photo of a child.
He has been remanded into custody ahead of his court appearance today. Detective Inspector Emma Portfleet said: “These charges demonstrate the work POLIT do every day to protect vulnerable children.
“This is the first time that our team have discovered these types of images on virtual reality headsets as part of our enquiries. Our team is adapting, and technology develops in order to stay one step ahead of perpetrators and keep people safe. Enquiries for this investigation remain ongoing.”
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