Face of man snared by paedophile hunter group in Sheffield who fled UK after sending videos to "girl"
A man snared by a paedophile hunter group after sending sexually explicit videos to an account he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl fled the UK in a bid to evade justice.
Moroccan national Said Mezour was subject to unsuccessful asylum proceedings when he embarked on the vile, sexual communication with a decoy account.
Despite being told on more than one occasion that “Sophie” was just 13, Mezour persisted in the sexual contact, sending her videos of himself carrying out a sex act, along with pornography, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Mezour urged “Sophie” to respond to his videos in kind, and to recreate what was being depicted in the pornography he sent.
Mark Bates, prosecuting, said police were informed of Mezour’s conduct when the so-called paedophile hunter group behind the decoy account called 101 to say they were standing with him, and had evidence including various pictures and videos to pass on to them.
Mezour was subsequently arrested, and in his police interview, accepted “communicating sexually with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl,” Mr Bates told a hearing held on March 19, 2026.
After being arrested in August 2021, Mezour, of no fixed abode, was released under investigation and subsequently fled the country, settling in Ireland for some time.
Mezour was eventually charged with the offence of an adult attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child - which he admitted to at an earlier hearing - when he returned to the United Kingdom.
Jailing Mezour, aged 34, for 12 months, Judge Michael Slater said he believed his decision to travel to Ireland amounted to an “entirely determined attempt to flee the jurisdiction, which led to a significant delay in proceedings.”
Mr Bates told the court that the contents of Mezour’s mobile phone were downloaded and analysed and were found to contain content categorised as extreme pornography.
He was not charged with that offence, however.
Extreme pornography is classified as content which depicts acts threatening someone’s life, acts causing damage to an individual’s intimate areas, sexual acts with a human corpse or an animal.
Defending, James Burley drew Judge Slater’s attention to Mezour’s lack of previous convictions, and the fact he has spent 122 days in custody on remand.
Mr Burley told the court that Mezour is currently the subject of immigration proceedings within the United Kingdom and is seeking separate legal advice to assist him.
As he sent Mezour to begin his prison sentence, Judge Slater told him that after he has served his time behind bars, he will be taken into the control of immigration authorities.
Mezour was also made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order.