CALLUM SPEDDING AND HIS SHOCKING SEXUAL GROOMING IN CUMBRIA

The disturbing misconduct of 27-year-old Callum Spedding from Windermere, Cumbria, has come to light through a police operation involving an undercover officer who posed online as a 13-year-old girl. This investigation uncovered not only Spedding’s inappropriate interactions with the girl but also revealed evidence suggesting he was engaged in grooming a 13-year-old boy. However, the male victim has never been fully identified.

Spedding, residing at Mill Brow, Droomer, Windermere, faced serious charges which he admitted to in court. The charges included six counts: one of making an indecent image of a child, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual behaviour, and three counts of attempting to communicate sexually with a child. The proceedings took place at Carlisle Crown Court, where prosecutor Tim Evans detailed the nature and timeline of Spedding’s offences, which occurred primarily in March 2020.

The initial set of offences stemmed from the police sting operation. During this operation, Spedding engaged online with an individual who repeatedly claimed to be a 13-year-old girl. Over several days of online chat, Spedding’s conduct became increasingly inappropriate. He offered to buy her sweets, clothing, jewellery, and a phone, and even discussed taking her to McDonald's, expressing a desire to 'spoil her.' In his messages, he stated, “It’d be cool to take you out and spoil you,” showing a manipulative attempt to establish trust and familiarity.

As the communication persisted, the tone shifted towards sexual content. Brendan Evans, the prosecutor, explained that Spedding increasingly described explicit sexual acts he wanted to perform with the girl, and he encouraged her to ‘practice’ certain sexual acts to prepare for a possible face-to-face meeting. The court was told that Spedding expressed a desire to meet the girl and explicitly discussed sexual contact in graphic detail.

The police’s intervention followed a raid on Spedding’s home on April 1, 2020. During the investigation and upon examining his digital devices, authorities found evidence that indicated Spedding was also grooming a young boy. Similar to his interactions with the girl, the communications with the boy involved sexual grooming, with Spedding discussing in explicit terms his intentions to sexually abuse the child.

His defense lawyer, Jack Troupe, acknowledged the gravity of the offences and noted that Spedding had struggled to come to terms with his actions. The lawyer also mentioned that the defendant was experiencing mental health difficulties. Nevertheless, Troupe highlighted that there had been no recurrence of offending behaviors since the incidents, which dated back three years.

Judge Nicholas Barker addressed Spedding directly, emphasizing that the defendant had genuinely believed he was communicating with children aged 13. The judge pointed out that by March 20, 2020, Spedding had intensified his attempts to groom the girl, including offering to buy her gifts and expressing a wish to see her in swimwear. Over the following days, the conversations grew more sexualized, with Spedding requesting indecent photos from the ‘child’.

The judge also acknowledged that Spedding had been socially isolated, but dismissed his claims that the offences were triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, noting that the illegal activities had commenced before the restrictions were put in place. Despite this, the court recognized that Spedding was suffering from mental health issues and continued to do so.

A probation officer’s assessment classified Spedding as posing a “direct risk” to children, considering the extent of his efforts to establish sexual contact with the two underage victims. As a result, Judge Barker sentenced Spedding to a term of 31 months in prison. Additionally, Spedding was ordered to be placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and to be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period, reflecting the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses.