A GROUND-BREAKING campaign aimed at stopping paedophiles from preying on youngsters in Internet chatrooms will be launched today amid new evidence of the growing danger.

Several cases involving North-East youngsters have convinced Government ministers that something needs to be done.

The new Home Office initiative has been drawn up in collaboration with police chiefs and has the backing of all the region's forces.

A rising number of cases in the North-East have seen paedophiles and child abusers seeking to "groom" young computer users by befriending them over the Net.

Ministers are working on new laws but, until legislation can be put in place, they have vowed to make parents and children more aware of the dangers involved with a £1.5m advertising campaign.

The campaign, Wise Up To The Net, is being backed by police forces in Cleveland, County Durham, Northumbria and North Yorkshire. Local initiatives will also be launched to tackle the issue.

It is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.

Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Machell, the head of Northumbria Police CID, said: "We need to raise awareness of what is a very worrying issue."

And a spokesman for Cleveland Police said: "There is a growing problem of children being abused in this way."

Earlier this year, a man was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court after seducing a schoolgirl baby sitter by meeting her in an Internet chatroom.

Father-of-three Andrew Mandefield met the 15-year-old girl from Tyneside having travelled from Hastings to visit her home.

He was sentenced to nine months in prison and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years after admitting unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 and indecent assault.

And in 1999, a sex offender admitted lying about his past so he could enter the United States to pursue an affair with a 15-year-old girl he had met on the Internet.

The case involving Ian Waddup, from Newcastle, was one of the first instances of a sex offender using the Net to snare a youngster.

Alisdair Gillespie - a senior lecturer in criminal justice at Teesside University, who is a member of the Government's Internet Taskforce set up to make the web safer for children - said the technology made it easy for paedophiles to single out victims.

"It's about befriending a child and getting into a situation where they fall in love with you and once that happens the abuser can do what they want," he said.

"A very high proportion of children go onto chatrooms regularly with about 60 per cent of families having the Internet in their homes.

"But an awful lot of parents don't have an idea of what their kids are up to."

Mr Gillespie said it was hoped legislation would be introduced next year which would make it illegal simply to pursue a course of conduct with the intention of meeting a child for sex. At the moment the law only becomes effective when such a meeting takes place or a child is abused.

Many adults use false identities while chatting to a child on-line and can encourage them to give out personal details or phone numbers.

Studies suggest the targets of such "grooming" approaches are teenagers, mainly girls aged from 13 to 17.

The Home Office is planning to conduct detailed research next year.

Durham Police said it was looking at education campaigns in the classroom.

A spokesman said: "Internet chatrooms can be fun, but they can also have hidden dangers and children and parents need to be aware of this."

l A booklet is available by phoning 0800 77 1234, offering parents an A-Z of the Internet and other advice.

Comment - Page 8