Former social worker jailed over child sex charges

A former social worker has been jailed for four years for arranging to have sex with an eight-year-old girl.

Nicholas Allen, from Rochdale, was arrested for trying to arrange child abuse in Leybourne, Kent and jailed at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday.

A social worker for 30 years, Allen, 54, plotted to have sex with an eight-year-old girl with the consent of her mother and her lesbian partner, the court heard.
 
However, Allen was duped in a police sting and arrested after travelling 260 miles from Rochdale to Leybourne, near Maidstone.
 
Allen was sentenced to four years imprisonment after admitting arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Maidstone Crown Court heard two police officers posed on a website as the mother and stepmother of a girl and were contacted by Allen in April.
 
Judge David Griffith-Jones QC told Allen: “It is clear the abuse you contemplated extended to sexual intercourse. It is clear you had in mind a long-term arrangement.
 
“Your claim you were involved in some sort of research or crusade to reveal the perpetrators was clearly untrue. It was well planned and carefully considered behaviour.”

Detective Constable Jon Baker from Kent Police said: “Nicholas Allen worked for many years as a social worker and should know the massive impact that sexual abuse has on children. Despite this he chose to arrange appalling abuse of a child, and travelled to meet in order to put this plan into action.

“Allen tried to claim that his actions were solely to report others and protect a child. Our investigation shows this was merely a ruse in order to try and escape the consequences of his actions.

“I am delighted that we have been able to put a stop to his behaviour and ensure that no child will come to harm from him any time soon.”
 
Allen’s name will appear on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and he will be banned from working with children or vulnerable adults.