Lansdale Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Meet Teen Girl for Sex
A Lansdale man is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty
to attempting to meet a teen girl for sex, only to learn that the teen was an
undercover detective.
Ian Horrocks, 45, of the 100 block of Saint Elmo Street, was
scheduled for a jury trial on Jan. 16, however he struck an open guilty plea
agreement with prosecutors, in which he pleaded guilty to one felony count of
attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16
years of age. In exchange, all remaining charges against Horrocks were dropped,
according to a report by Carl
Hessler Jr. at The
Reporter.
An open guilty plea means there is no sentencing
recommendation between Horrocks and prosecutors, meaning the judge will
ultimately determine Horrocks’ sentence.
The report states that sentencing was deferred so officials
can conduct a background check on Horrocks, who was also ordered to undergo
drug, alcohol, mental health and psychosexual evaluations. Hessler’s report
also indicates that, regardless of sentence, Horrocks will face a lifetime
registration requirement under Megan’s Law.
Horrocks faces a maximum of six years in prison on the
charge. He’s currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional
Facility in lieu of $10,000 cash bail while awaiting sentencing, court records
show.
In April 2023, detectives from the Lansdale Borough Police
Department and Montgomery County Detective Bureau launched a proactive
investigation on multiple social media platforms in an attempt to identify and
arrest child sex predators. During the evening of April 19, 2023, an undercover
detective assuming the role of a 14-year-old girl was contacted by Horrocks and
the two began a conversation over several hours that turned sexual in nature,
according to charging documents.
Chat logs included in the affidavit of probable cause show
Horrocks expressed concern on several occasions that the chat could be a setup
and referenced that an adult male could be arrested for having sex with a
14-year-old girl. After expressing those concerns, however, Horrocks sent a
message indicating he was “up for meeting” the teen for sex, and
detectives arranged the meeting at a predetermined location later that evening,
police said.
Upon Horrocks’ arrival at the meet location, a member of the
surveillance team took him into custody, and he was transported to the Lansdale
Police Station for an interview, police said. During that interview, Horrocks
allegedly confessed to communicating with a 14-year-old girl on social media
and via text message and said he had gone to the predetermined location to meet
the teen, according to charging documents.
See also:
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