A MAN has been caught arranging to meet up with young children to engage in sexual activity.

Noah Eckett-Graves, from Bournemouth, was travelling by train to meet two children when he was caught by police.

The 26-year-old had been the subject of an investigation by Dorset Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

Dorset Police received information that the defendant had been engaged in online conversations with an undercover police operative who was pretending to be the mother of two young children.

Following a series of conversations, Eckett-Graves made arrangements to travel by train to Pontypridd in Wales on August 22 with the intention of meeting up with the children to engage in sexual activity.

Officers arrested the defendant after he boarded the train in Bournemouth.

The POLIT team were able to compile evidence including chat history with the undercover officer, which demonstrated the defendant’s intention to engage in sexual activity with children.

Detective Constable Phillip Riggs, of POLIT, said: “Through the evidence obtained by the undercover officer and our investigative work, we were able to identify Noah Eckett-Graves as someone who intended to commit sexual acts with children and we worked proactively to detain him and hold him accountable for his actions.

“We will continue to work with our partner agencies to thoroughly investigate offences of this nature and do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”

Eckett-Graves was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, December 15, after admitting two charges of arranging or facilitating a child sexual offence.

He was jailed for eight years.