Colchester: Man sentenced to 14 years in prison for child sex offences

A man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison following an investigation by our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

Jordan Reid, 30 of Victoria Gardens, Colchester appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday, 11 October, where he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In January 2023, a warrant was executed at Reid’s former address in Witham by POLIT officers.

Reid openly told police that he had been engaging in conversations where indecent images of children had been shared.

Further enquiries revealed that Reid had been portraying to be a 14-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy whilst engaging in sexual communications with multiple children.

He was charged with 14 offences, including causing a child under 13 to engage in a sexual act, causing a child to watch a sexual act and distributing inappropriate images of children. Reid was remanded into custody.

After pleading guilty on 24 August, he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday, 11 October where he was sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison. Reid was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

On sentencing, William Clegg KC told Reid “you have done untold damage to those children and no one will ever know what psychological harm you have caused.”

Detective Constable Matthew Wright said “This was a thorough investigation by POLIT and as a result, a dangerous man has been put in prison.

“We worked closely with partner agencies to facilitate the intelligence we needed to quickly investigate Reid so he couldn’t harm any more children.”

“The internet should be a space where young people can communicate with friends and stay connected.

“It should not be an environment where perpetrators can take advantage of vulnerable victims and our Police Online Investigation Team will continue to work hard to stop this.”