Brutal sex-crime murderer caught trying to meet underage girl at Leeds Royal Armouries

Norman Bowen-Jones was jailed along with his friend for the brutal slaying of the woman at a flat in Durham in 1996. The pair had fantasised about having sex with her and murdering her. They were given a life sentence and ordered to serve at least 13 years.

Bowen-Jones, who is now 45, was caught out by the paedophile hunter group, Predator Exposure, having contacted several child decoy profiles last year.

Appearing at Leeds Crown Court via video link from HMP Leeds, he was jailed again this afternoon.

Prosecutor Gareth Henderson-Moore said Bowen had made contact with the first profile in July of last year. She told him she was just 14 but he was undeterred and moved the conversation to WhatsApp.

Bowen-Jones, who had been living on Springwell View in Holbeck, sent her pictures of his penis and asked for photos of her. He suggested they meet and travelled to the Royal Armouries, where he was confronted by the hunter group who livestreamed it over the internet.

However, he had also contacted other decoy profiles run by the same group and suggested meeting at Leeds Railway Station, although he did not carry that meeting through.

He admitted attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, four counts of attempting sexual communication with a child, arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence, two offences of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and two of making indecent photos of children.

Mitigating, Andrew Stranex said that since his release from prison he was like a “fish out of water”.

He added: “When he went into custody the world was a very different place and was really struggling to find his feet. He was in a city he was not familiar with. He used the internet to make contact with people. He accepts what he did was wrong.”

The judge, Recorder Alex Menary acknowledged Bowen-Jones was “struggling to adjust” after such a long time behind bars. He jailed him for 32 months, but said his life licence will remain in place, meaning he could be returned to prison at any time. after serving his latest sentence.

He was also given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to curb his internet use and put on the sex offender register for life.

Bowen-Jones and his friend Timothy Dunn were just 17 and 15 respectively when they carried out their horrific murder. They had become friends with 29-year-old Lesley Fox, and frequently visited her at her basement bedsit in Darlington.

They fantasised about having sex with her, then killing her, and went through with the vile plan on October 12, 1996. She was four-months pregnant at the time and had been dead five days before he body was discovered. She had to be identified by dental records.

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She had been subjected to a prolonged and violent sexual assault before being strangled by Bowen-Jones who used a piece of rope. The sexual assault continued after she had been killed.

Later arrested, the boys blamed each other for the killing. They were sentenced in November 1997 and deemed “very dangerous” by the presiding judge. They were told to serve a minimum 13 years, which was later cut to 12 years for Bowen-Jones, and 11 years for Dunn.

At the time of the successful appeal, a police advisor had reported that Bowen-Jones was “cold, calculating and ruthless” and he seriously believed he might kill again if released.