Woodford paedophile encouraged '13-year-old' to bunk off school for sex

He's been put behind bars
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A paedophile has been locked up after making plans to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old so he could carry out his sick schoolgirl fantasy.

Mark Ure, 42, had no idea he was speaking to an undercover police officer and even checked that she could skip school to see him for sex.

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The Woodford man was also caught communicating with three other police decoys, who he believed to be 12 or 13, and searched for an Airbnb close to one of them.

Mark Ure.Mark Ure.
Mark Ure.

On Tuesday (March 8) a judge ruled he posed a significant risk to teenage girls and handed him an extended sentence, with four years and 10 months in prison and an extra three years and two months on licence.

Northampton Crown Court heard Ure, of Long Row, was snared last year as part of a West Midlands Police operation called Project Atari, committing his offences between August and October.

Prosecuting, Micaila Williams said he thought he was speaking to girls named Olivia, Emma, Lily and Rhea, each aged 12 or 13, over Kik messenger or WhatsApp.

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'Olivia' told him she was 13-years-old but the chats soon turned sexual. He spoke about holding her to keep her warm and said he wouldn't be able to trust himself.

He told her: "Every man has a schoolgirl fantasy."

Ure told the police decoy that she would make his "wildest dreams come true", spoke about explicit acts he wanted to do with her, sent lewd files of himself and incited her to perform a sex act.

He also said he would "teach her new things" and requested pictures of her.

Ms Williams said: "He said she was going to get him into trouble."

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Ure, who was once jailed for producing cannabis, then spoke to her about meeting up and engaging in sexual activity and the pair had a phone call where it was confirmed they would be together in the next few days.

Ms Williams said that he checked she could get the Thursday off school to meet up.

She said: "There was no meeting, but the intention was to carry out what he described."

In chats with other girls he told one he would have asked her out if he wasn't older and early stage discussions were held about the logistics of meeting up. In one chat he used the username 'Rustynuts42'.

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He talked about forcing people into sexual activity against their will and searched for an Airbnb stay close to a location he believed one girl was residing at.

When one girl said she was worried about pictures of her being leaked he told her: "You also forget how much trouble I can get into."

Mitigating, Liam Muir said Ure was not simply sorry he had been caught.

He said: "He has show genuine remorse and genuine disgust at what he has done."

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Ure admitted eight child sex offences and Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking QC ruled he posed a significant risk of serious harm.

She said: "He has a deeply entrenched sexual interest in very, very young teenage girls."

Judge Lucking QC told Ure he must serve at least two-thirds of prison sentence of four years and 10 months behind bars before he can be considered for parole.

Once he is released he will serve the remainder on licence, plus an additional three years and two months, and faces being returned to prison if he breaches strict conditions.

Ure will also be on the register for sex offenders indefinitely and be made to follow an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.