Westcliff: Specialist officers' work sees child sex offender jailed
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The Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) – specialists in tackling online child sex offences – have seen a paedophile jailed for five years.
Mark Baillie, of North Road in Westcliff, was first arrested and questioned by police in August 2025 after reports he had been engaged in sexual conversations online with what he believed were children, but were actually decoy accounts.
The 37-year-old's devices were seized and analysed as part of that investigation, where officers discovered more than 2,200 child abuse images, as well as evidence Baillie had engaged in sexual conversations via video with children online.
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Once these were found Baillie was quickly arrested again and charged with:
- five counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity
- four counts of making indecent images of children
- three counts of distributing indecent images of children
- two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity
- two counts of attempting to communicate with a child
- one count of threatening to share intimate images
Due to the strength of the evidence and diligence by the Officer in Charge of the case, he pleaded guilty to all charges at Southend Crown Court and was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday 27 February at the same court.
"his crimes were heinous"
He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and added to the Sex Offenders Register for life.
POLIT’s Acting Detective Inspector Gavin Tuck said:
Our officers laid bare the extensive offending on Baillie’s devices, leaving him no choice but to plead guilty at court.
His crimes were heinous – a custodial sentence was the only punishment he could face.
He repeatedly sought out children on the internet to abuse, hiding his identity as he did so.
Child abuse such as this is insidious and preys on young people where they are often most vulnerable, in areas of the internet where those that seek to exploit them can disguise themselves.
Thanks to the SHPO we secured at court, he has to declare any devices in his possession and we can check them unannounced for the rest of his life, ensuring we can protect children from him.
Keeping your child safe online is not always an easy task. New technology, regular updates or upgrades can change how things work, sometimes making it difficult to keep up.
So, to help, we have put together some simple things you can do to make your child’s online devices safer.
Visit our Sort your settings page to find out how.
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Free support for survivors of sexual violence in Essex
Synergy Essex offers free, confidential help to anyone in Essex affected by rape, sexual abuse, or sexual violence - whether it happened recently or in the past.
It’s made up of three expert services:
- Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse
- Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service
- Southend-on-Sea Rape Crisis
You don’t need to report anything to the police to get support. You can contact Synergy Essex directly, or ask someone you trust, like a friend, family member or professional, to refer you.
Support is available for all ages and includes:
- Counselling (in person, online or by phone).
- Emotional and practical help.
- Guidance from Independent Sexual Violence Advisers if you choose to report the crime.
Their First Contact team can talk you through your options and help you get started.
Find out more on the Synergy Essex website.