A van driver was caught by officers circling a Maidstone car park as he looked for a child to sexually abuse.
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Simon Hancock, pictured left, drove from Dartford with the intention of meeting a teenage boy he’d groomed on the internet over several days. Hancock made the 20-mile journey after initiating a series of explicit messages on apps including Snapchat. During the online exchanges, the 47-year-old repeatedly sent obscene images of himself to the child. He told them he knew they were underage but said he could teach him sexual practices including how to ‘touch, kiss and hold’. Hancock arranged to meet the child on 19 February 2025 but was intercepted by local officers, whose suspicions were drawn to his white Toyota van as it was seen to repeatedly leave and re-enter a car park next to Mote Park.
The van was followed and brought to a halt in nearby Greenside, where the panicked driver desperately reversed into an unmarked police car. Hancock was surrounded by officers who gained entry to his van and detained him. A kitchen knife was also seized from the vehicle and police also recovered two phones. During interview Hancock told officers he had indecent images of children on one of the seized devices, which he called his ‘bad’ phone.
He was charged with arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, attempted sexual communication with a child, and with making indecent images of a child. Hancock pleaded guilty and on 2 October was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to three years’ imprisonment. Upon his release from prison, he will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. A further charge of possessing a knife in a public place was ordered by the court to lie on file.
Detective Constable Ellie Campbell said:
‘Hancock’s actions were predatory and calculated. He deliberately targeted a child online, sent explicit material, and then travelled with the clear intention of committing further serious sexual offences. Thankfully, the vigilance and intervention of our officers has prevented Hancock from causing any further potential harm. This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers children can face online. With most young people regularly using devices and messaging apps, we continue to urge parents and guardians to help children understand how to protect themselves online and feel confident reporting anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.’