Student who wanted sex with girl arrested at Norwich station

Azel Torres Vargas, 21, a Mexican national studying in the US, had been in the UK as part of a university placement when he started communicating with an undercover Norfolk police officer who was purporting to be the uncle of a 10-year-old girl.

Norwich Crown Court heard Torres Vargas revealed in online conversations with the officer, who referred to himself as Uncle Jim, that he had a sexual interest in children

Martin Ivory, prosecuting, said there was an "exchange of images" with the defendant who expressed a desire to have sex with the girl.

He said Torres Vargas travelled to Norwich railway station expecting to see the uncle and his niece after a meeting had been set up by the undercover police officer.

Norwich Railway Station (Image: Newsquest)But the defendant, who told the officer what he would be wearing, was arrested after he arrived at the station.

Police also found indecent images on his phone.

Torres Vargas, from London, appeared for sentence on Tuesday (December 19) having admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence on June 29 this year. 

Azel Torres Vargas (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)He also admitted three counts of distributing indecent photographs of children and three counts of making indecent photographs of children.

Imposing an extended 15-year sentence on Torres Vargas made up of 10 years custody and five years on licence, Recorder Michael Turner said the defendant had a "dark side" which was both "disgusting and evil".

Andrew Thompson, mitigating, said his client was immature and naive and deserved credit for his guilty pleas.

He said Torres Vargas had inadvertently accessed pornography since he was nine through a gaming device with access to the internet.

Mr Thompson said the defendant had returned to pornography during times of stress and isolation but insisted there was no real child involved in the most serious charge offence.

Vargas was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) indefinitely as well as being put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.