Dennis Moeller - Internet Predator - Guilty

"You have shown worrying patience and determination in your efforts to gain the trust of vulnerable young men for your own sexual purpose."

"You are truly a sexual predator."

A SEXUAL predator who abducted two boys after meeting them via the internet, has been jailed for four and a half years.

Dennis Moeller used chatrooms to talk to the youngsters, one of whom was from Blackpool, gaining their trust and confidence.

He then met up with them and took them for a ride in his car without their parents' permission.

The youngster from Blackpool was given alcohol and a mobile phone at Moeller's flat before being taken back to the Fylde.

The German born 29 year old, from Salford, had claimed he was merely a good Samaritan, wanting to help young people.

But sentencing him to a prison term, Judge Heather Lloyd labelled Moeller a predator and said she was gravely concerned that he had no insight into what he had done.

She told the defendant: "If you were truly concerned about any of these children, social services would have been your first port of call, or at the very least, face to face meetings with the parents.

"You have shown worrying patience and determination in your efforts to gain the trust of vulnerable young men for your own sexual purpose."

"You are truly a sexual predator."

Moeller maintained at his trial he had had no sexual interest in the young men, but had merely wanted to help them.

He suggested he had a social work background but provided no evidence he was qualified, or he had done social work.

He had spoken of having a professional interest in street children in Hamburg and Berlin.

A 13-year-old Darwen boy had also agreed to meet up with him and was driven in the direction of Manchester, before being taken back to East Lancashire.

Moeller even called at a police station to "cover his back", regarding the boy being away from his mother for the night.

He told police he had returned the boy.

A third young man had been at Moeller's home where he woke one morning to find the defendant sexually touching him.

Mr Mark Le Brocq, defending, said none of the boys had been harmed. The two boys taken for a ride were not molested and were unconcerned. One even stayed overnight at his home.

Moeller was convicted of three charges of abduction, two of sexual grooming and one of sexual assault.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He will be banned from working with children indefinitely and made the subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"

.........Sarah Tofte