A Pets At Home Paedophile worker, Erica Jones, who alerted the police to her ex-partner’s, Phil Hudson, horrendous child sex crimes has also been jailed after detectives realised she was also involved. Erica Jones, 22, a member of staff in the Garston branch of Pets at Home in Merseyside began an affair with colleague and Paedophile Phil Hudson in 2019.
The sick relationship involved Phil Hudson & Erica Jones exchanging disturbing fantasies about abusing children, evidenced by text messages sent between the pair.
In August 2022, 33-year-old Phil Hudson, formerly of Lincoln Street in Garston, was sentenced to 27 months behind bars at Liverpool Crown Court.
Now Erica Jones, who’s from Runcorn, has also been jailed after it became clear that she was also a depraved sex criminal.
Prosecutor Bernice Campbell said that Phil Hudson sent pictures and a video of himself masturbating in the presence of a young child to Erica Jones, who then saved it on her phone.
Phil Hudson, 33, formerly of Lincoln Street, Garston, pleaded guilty to nine child sex offences and possessing extreme pornography
She told the court: “Phil Hudson & Erica Jones would also communicate via text and social media and would discuss their sexual fantasies including comments about children that had come into the shop.
“The fantasies, predominantly by her co-worker but also by the Defendant, would also involve young children.”
In the aftermath of the couple’s break-up, Erica Jones told her superiors that Phil Hudson had a “sexual interest in children” and was encouraged to report this to the police.
Two days later, Erica Jones did notify the authorities, after which Hudson was arrested and his phone seized.
In an attempt to assist officers with their investigation Erica Jones handed over her mobile, but this act exposed her complicity.
The prosecutor told the court: “During the interview, the Defendant stated that she loved her ex-partner and would do anything for him. She admitted that she would also engage in sexual fantasy talk.
“However, in March 2022 she concluded that what he was saying was potentially criminal and wrong so decided to get evidence to show the police. At this time she had also found out that her co-worker had shared photographs of herself with others.
“From the mobile phone download it can be seen that the defendant had received two images from her co-worker, one on June 3, 2020, one on December 2, 2021, and a video on January 3, 2022. She did not however, disclose these to the Police until June 2022, stating that they were evidence that she had collated to show her co-worker was a paedophile.”
Phil Hudson, after an investigation, pleaded guilty to nine child sex offences, including two counts of engaging sexual activity in the presence of a child, and possessing indecent images of children.
However, analysis of conversations between Phil Hudson & Erica Jones led to further discoveries made by police.
Ms Campbell told the court: “A detective reviewed the mobile phone download and established that both the Defendant [Erica Jones] and her co-worker had been sharing fantasies involving young children and that she had, on many occasions, been the instigator.”
The majority of Erica Jones’ messages to Phil Hudson are too graphic to publish, but they did refer to Jones and the young child victim “working together” to perform sex acts on Hudson.
One message, sent when Phil Hudson was apparently in the bath, said: “It’s a shame [the victim] was not there with you.”
The court heard that Erica Jones was arrested on August 22 2022 and during her interview said that she would “play along and engage in her co-workers fantasies about children but that she had no interest in children herself”.
Erica Jones accepted that she had saved the images and video and had commented about them.
Erica Jones also conceded that she went to the authorities because Phil Hudson would not leave his new girlfriend for her.
She pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.
Erica Jones was jailed for 24 months.
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