Luton paedophile jailed after being caught with knife and thong to meet teenage boy in Herts
A man from Luton has been put behind bars after he was caught by police trying to meet up with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy in Hertfordshire.
Herts Police said Patrick Joyce, aged 62, of Hart Hill Lane in Luton, had travelled to meet to Verulamium Park in St Albans on November 13 2025. He had sent sexual messages to what he believed was the boy’s account on a website and WhatsApp from the end of October.
When Joyce arrived at the park, he was met by officers who seized a rucksack and found a red thong and lubricant, along with a small knife in a sheath in his car.
Joyce was arrested and charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child, arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
He pleaded guilty to all the offences and was jailed for a total of four years at St Albans Crown Court on March 12. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Constable Tom Campbell, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Child Online Safeguarding Team, said: “While there was no physical victim at the heart of this specific crime, it showed the steps Patrick Joyce would take to meet a child and sexually abuse them.
"Offenders like Joyce undermine trust in online spaces and can fuel wider criminal activity. He is a dangerous individual who is now rightly serving a custodial sentence.”