ANDREW DIXON PLYMOUTH MAN SENTENCED FOR ONLINE GROOMING AND SEXUAL CHAT SCAM

In a case that highlights the dangers of online grooming and the importance of vigilant law enforcement, a man from Plymouth was sentenced to prison after engaging in a series of sexually explicit conversations with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. In reality, he was communicating with an undercover police officer, who was part of an ongoing operation targeting individuals attempting to exploit minors over the internet.

According to court proceedings, Andrew Dixon, aged 35 and residing on Salisbury Road in St Judes, Plymouth, believed he was engaging with a young girl in a sexualized online relationship. The police had set up a sting operation in April 2010, monitoring chat rooms where men and underage girls might interact. Dixon, who used the alias homealone069, initiated contact with the officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. During their initial exchange on April 1, both claimed to live in Devon, with Dixon honestly stating his age of 33.

Over the following weeks, the conversations between Dixon and the undercover officer grew increasingly explicit. On May 6, they spoke for nearly an hour and a half, during which Dixon expressed a desire to meet her in person. By May 22, he had watched her perform a lewd act via webcam, and this pattern of sexualized communication continued, with Dixon repeatedly asking her to pose topless and perform sexual acts for him. The conversations became more graphic, and Dixon even stripped naked on camera, requesting the girl to do the same.

In August, Dixon proposed to meet her at a hotel in October, and he asked her for a photograph, as well as discussing sex in detail. He also encouraged her to perform a sexual act on herself for him. The planned meeting was scheduled for October 14, but Dixon canceled the arrangement on October 5, citing moral concerns about her age and the risk of imprisonment if he went through with it.

On October 14, police arrested Dixon. During his interview, he claimed that he never truly intended to meet the girl and that his actions were part of an ongoing fantasy. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and one count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Andrew Maitland, representing Dixon, emphasized that there was no actual meeting, and the cancellation was due to Dixon’s realization that his actions had gone too far. He pointed out that there was no child pornography involved, no prior grooming attempts, and that Dixon was assessed as being at low risk of re-offending. His fiancée, a mature student at the University of Plymouth, stood by him throughout the proceedings.

Judge Francis Gilbert, presiding over the case, addressed Dixon directly, stating, “These offences are serious and must be marked by an immediate custodial term.” Consequently, Dixon was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years and was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for the same duration.

Outside the courtroom, Detective Constable Trevor Strike of the Devon and Cornwall Police Force Child Exploitation Unit expressed satisfaction with the sentence, stating, “We are very pleased with this sentence, which hopefully will send a strong message to others. We will always investigate cases of grooming and exploiting children, and will endeavour to bring prosecutions against those responsible.”