ALISTAIR BROWN FROM WEST RAINTON CAUGHT BY PAEDOPHILE HUNTERS IN SUNDERLAND

In a disturbing case that highlights the ongoing threat posed by online predators, Alistair Brown, a 36-year-old man from West Rainton, was caught in a sting operation orchestrated by vigilant online groups. Brown had been engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a profile he believed belonged to a 14-year-old girl named Laura, with the apparent intent of arranging a meeting in Sunderland.

Brown’s communications took place over a span of six days in July 2017, via the social media platform Whisper. During this period, he exchanged messages with the fake profile created by the Guardians of the North, a group dedicated to exposing individuals seeking illegal contact with minors. The group had set up the profile to lure potential offenders and prevent them from carrying out their intentions.

According to prosecutor Angus Taylor, the individual behind the profile, known as Mr World, initiated contact with Laura and quickly moved the conversation toward sexual topics. Brown, who was identified as the person behind the pseudonym, was told that Laura was only 14 years old. Despite this, he expressed interest in engaging in sexual activities and even suggested he wanted to record videos and take photographs of them together. The court was informed that Brown sought reassurance from the fake profile that she would not tell anyone if she was uncomfortable or if the meeting went wrong.

Brown’s plans to meet the girl in Sunderland were thwarted when the Guardians of the North confronted him before the scheduled encounter. This intervention prevented any possibility of the crime being committed, and Brown was taken into custody. The court heard that his actions were part of a pattern of grooming behavior, which included attempts to incite a minor to engage in sexual activity and to meet her for sexual purposes.

At Newcastle Crown Court, Brown pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. Judge Stephen Earl sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for two years, meaning Brown will serve probation with conditions including rehabilitation and supervision. Additionally, he was ordered to complete 140 hours of unpaid work and to sign the sex offenders register for a decade. A sexual harm prevention order was also imposed, lasting five years.

Judge Earl described Brown’s messages as “extremely distressing to any right-thinking person,” emphasizing the seriousness of his actions. However, he acknowledged that because Brown was confronted before the meeting could occur, it remains uncertain how far his intentions might have gone. The judge remarked, “We shall never know just how much of an attempt there would be at meeting, whether it was a realistic intention of the defendant to meet, which is contrary to what he says himself.”