A Household Cavalry soldier who plotted to sexually abuse two young children has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of attempting to arrange child sex offences.
Graham Jarvis, 38, was living at military barracks in Hyde Park when he began communicating online with a woman he believed was the mother of two young girls. In reality, he was communicating with an undercover police officer.
Jarvis began speaking to the woman in January 2024 and was told she had daughters aged seven and 10 months. Prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court that he subsequently discussed travelling from London to the woman’s home in Wales, where he intended to sexually abuse the children.
He was arrested in February 2024, before the planned meeting could take place.
Jarvis denied the offences but was found guilty at trial of two counts of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence. He was subsequently dismissed from the Army.
During his online conversations, Jarvis asked questions about the older child’s previous sexual experiences. He was told that she had previously been abused by two men. He also discussed the younger child and sought the supposed mother’s assistance in facilitating the abuse.
Sentencing Jarvis, Judge Adam Hiddleston said the case was not simply one of fantasy or speculation. The judge said he was satisfied that Jarvis believed the children were real and intended to meet them with the purpose of sexually abusing them.
The judge described messages sent by Jarvis as demonstrating a “cold and clinical” attitude towards the children. He said Jarvis appeared willing to regard them as objects to satisfy his sexual urges.
Jarvis was ordered to serve at least two-thirds of his 12-year sentence in custody, meaning he must spend at least eight years in prison before being released on licence, subject to the applicable rules.
The court also heard mitigation from Lisa Wilson, who represented Jarvis. She told the court that he had been experiencing a difficult and traumatic period in his life and described him as being “at a low ebb” when the offences were committed.
However, Judge Hiddleston warned that Jarvis could continue to pose a risk to children. His sentence therefore includes a further period on licence following his release from prison.
The case highlights the work of undercover police officers in identifying and disrupting individuals who seek to sexually exploit children online. Although no physical contact with the children occurred in this case, the court concluded that Jarvis had taken sufficiently serious steps towards arranging the offences to warrant a substantial prison sentence.
The judge’s remarks made clear that the conviction was based not merely on disturbing conversations but on evidence that Jarvis genuinely believed he was communicating with a mother and was actively attempting to arrange a meeting involving her children.
