By Lucy Caulkett-
A convicted child rapist has been given a 14-year extended prison sentence after attempting to abuse young boys while on license from a previous 14-year jail term.
Geoffrey Rooney foolishly told two male undercover police officers he wanted to carry out disgusting sex acts on what he believed to be their little boys, Bradford Crown Court heard.
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Rooney, 46, of Wibsey, Bradford, was jailed for 14 years at Plymouth Crown Court in 2015 for a string of child sex offences, including the rape of a child.
Following his release from prison on license in January last year, he went on to commit ten further sexual offences. They included arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, distributing indecent images of children and breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
Today, Judge David Hatton QC meted out an extended prison sentence totalling 14 years. Rooney will have to serve at least two thirds of the eight-year custodial term be-hind bars before he can even be considered for release. He will then spend the balance of the eight years and a further six years on licence.
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Prosecutor Huw Edwards told the court that two undercover police officers, posing as Alan and Chris, chatted online with Rooney in October and November last year.
He told them he wanted to sexually abuse their young sons and talked about meeting at a hotel.
Rooney sent photos and videos to the officers of children being sexually abused, Mr Edwards said.
He said he had a sexual desire for very young children and named the disgusting things he wanted to do to the boys.
Andrea Parnham, Rooney’s barrister, said he was ashamed of his actions.
He had pleaded guilty to all the offences at the earliest opportunity and was recalled to prison until January 2028.
Rooney had been candid and frank with his probation officer about his sexual interest in children.
He was released from prison during lockdown and didn’t feel he was supported enough.
Rooney was already engaging with online resources in prison. He accepted that his motivation to change was not there previously but he was now determined to become a different person.
Judge Hatton said Rooney was a dangerous offender who posed a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm from further specified offences.
In January, 2015, he was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for a number of serious offences, including distributing indecent photos and the rape of a child.
He was released in January last year and before the end of that year he had committed the new offences.
He engaged in disgusting conversations with two undercover police officers with a view to arranging or facilitating sexual activity with what he believed to be their children.
No child sexual offences were committed or could have been committed but he did not know that.
“It’s clear to me that you believed that child sexual offences would be committed and hoped they would be committed,” Judge Hatton said.
In the course of the conversations, Rooney distributed images and videos with “grotesque content that defied comprehension.”
Young, vulnerable children came to be exploited because of people like him, Judge Hatton said.
He made a Sexual Harm Prevention order and Rooney must sign on the sex offender register for life.
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