HORSHAM CHILD SEX OFFENDER CHRISTOPHER HEWITT SPARED JAIL AFTER PLOTTING TO LURE TEENAGE GIRL NEAR LONDON BRIDGE
| Red Rose Database
Horsham Child Sexual Abuser
In a case that has once again highlighted the ongoing concerns surrounding child safety and online grooming, Christopher Hewitt, a 26-year-old man from Horsham, West Sussex, was spared immediate imprisonment despite his disturbing intentions to exploit a teenage girl. The incident unfolded in March 2008, when Hewitt traveled from his home in Horsham to London with the apparent plan to meet a 14-year-old girl he had been communicating with online.
Unbeknownst to Hewitt, the girl he believed he was meeting was actually an undercover police officer posing as a teenager as part of an operation by the Metropolitan Police’s Paedophile Unit. Hewitt’s journey culminated at London Bridge station, where he was promptly arrested by officers from the unit. The police had been monitoring his online activity and had gathered evidence of his intentions to commit a sexual offence.
Prior to his arrest, Hewitt had loaded his vehicle with items that raised suspicion, including a rucksack containing a soft picnic blanket and alcopops, which he intended to take to the meeting. The car also contained a pair of handcuffs and a craft knife. Hewitt later claimed that the knife was for making miniature models, citing his interest in war gaming as the reason for possessing such items. However, the presence of the handcuffs and the other paraphernalia added to the concerns about his intentions.
Prosecutor David Povall outlined that Hewitt had initiated contact with the girl through a social networking website, introducing himself as a 26-year-old man. Over the course of several weeks, from February 5 to March 16, Hewitt bombarded her with sexually explicit messages, expressing his desire and interest in meeting her. He told her, “You are making me drool,” and provided his mobile phone number, further indicating his intent to establish a physical meeting.
Hewitt’s messages grew increasingly provocative, with him asking her about her clothing and suggesting they meet in a forest near his residence. He proposed to bring a blanket and alcopops for the meeting. On March 12, an agreement was made for the encounter, during which Hewitt asked the girl about her attire, and he mentioned having a PVC dress that might fit her. When she replied that she was in her school uniform, the messages became more explicit, with Hewitt suggesting they go to the woods near his home for the meeting.
On the day of the planned meeting, Hewitt was arrested outside London Bridge station as he waited for his intended victim. During his arrest, he made comments indicating an interest in handcuffs, which he liked, and he appeared to have a fascination with them. The police searched his car and found a real pair of handcuffs behind the driver’s seat, along with a sharp metal knife in the glove compartment. Hewitt claimed that the handcuffs were intended as a gift for someone else.
Further investigation led to the seizure of three computers from Hewitt’s home. One of these contained 70 indecent images of children, and another showed that Hewitt had been searching for websites using the term “Lolita,” which is often associated with child exploitation. Hewitt was described as a war games enthusiast, and police noted that he kept the items in his car because he was “messy.” Despite his apparent high IQ and intelligence, Hewitt’s criminal activities painted a troubling picture.
Hewitt’s criminal record includes a previous conviction from the previous year, when he admitted to downloading hundreds of images depicting child abuse from the internet between April 2003 and May 2005. He was handed a three-year rehabilitation order at that time but continued to browse the web in search of potential victims. Since his arrest in March 2008, Hewitt has been held in custody, and his participation in a sex offenders’ program was disrupted by his latest arrest.
During the sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hardy decided not to impose a custodial sentence, citing Hewitt’s time already served—nearly seven months, equivalent to a 14-month sentence. Instead, he was given a community order, with stern warnings about the seriousness of his offences. The judge emphasized that Hewitt’s previous guilty plea for similar offences at Lewes Crown Court last year demonstrated a troubling pattern of indifference towards such crimes.
Judge Hardy made it clear that this was Hewitt’s last chance to engage properly with the court-mandated sex offenders’ program. Failure to do so would result in severe consequences. Hewitt was also subjected to a three-year supervision order, a sexual offences prevention order, and his name was added to the sex offenders’ register. Hewitt, of Horsham, West Sussex, admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming on March 16, 2008, and was also charged with attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity between February 5 and March 17, 2008. However, the latter charges were ordered to remain on the court record without further proceedings.
Unbeknownst to Hewitt, the girl he believed he was meeting was actually an undercover police officer posing as a teenager as part of an operation by the Metropolitan Police’s Paedophile Unit. Hewitt’s journey culminated at London Bridge station, where he was promptly arrested by officers from the unit. The police had been monitoring his online activity and had gathered evidence of his intentions to commit a sexual offence.
Prior to his arrest, Hewitt had loaded his vehicle with items that raised suspicion, including a rucksack containing a soft picnic blanket and alcopops, which he intended to take to the meeting. The car also contained a pair of handcuffs and a craft knife. Hewitt later claimed that the knife was for making miniature models, citing his interest in war gaming as the reason for possessing such items. However, the presence of the handcuffs and the other paraphernalia added to the concerns about his intentions.
Prosecutor David Povall outlined that Hewitt had initiated contact with the girl through a social networking website, introducing himself as a 26-year-old man. Over the course of several weeks, from February 5 to March 16, Hewitt bombarded her with sexually explicit messages, expressing his desire and interest in meeting her. He told her, “You are making me drool,” and provided his mobile phone number, further indicating his intent to establish a physical meeting.
Hewitt’s messages grew increasingly provocative, with him asking her about her clothing and suggesting they meet in a forest near his residence. He proposed to bring a blanket and alcopops for the meeting. On March 12, an agreement was made for the encounter, during which Hewitt asked the girl about her attire, and he mentioned having a PVC dress that might fit her. When she replied that she was in her school uniform, the messages became more explicit, with Hewitt suggesting they go to the woods near his home for the meeting.
On the day of the planned meeting, Hewitt was arrested outside London Bridge station as he waited for his intended victim. During his arrest, he made comments indicating an interest in handcuffs, which he liked, and he appeared to have a fascination with them. The police searched his car and found a real pair of handcuffs behind the driver’s seat, along with a sharp metal knife in the glove compartment. Hewitt claimed that the handcuffs were intended as a gift for someone else.
Further investigation led to the seizure of three computers from Hewitt’s home. One of these contained 70 indecent images of children, and another showed that Hewitt had been searching for websites using the term “Lolita,” which is often associated with child exploitation. Hewitt was described as a war games enthusiast, and police noted that he kept the items in his car because he was “messy.” Despite his apparent high IQ and intelligence, Hewitt’s criminal activities painted a troubling picture.
Hewitt’s criminal record includes a previous conviction from the previous year, when he admitted to downloading hundreds of images depicting child abuse from the internet between April 2003 and May 2005. He was handed a three-year rehabilitation order at that time but continued to browse the web in search of potential victims. Since his arrest in March 2008, Hewitt has been held in custody, and his participation in a sex offenders’ program was disrupted by his latest arrest.
During the sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hardy decided not to impose a custodial sentence, citing Hewitt’s time already served—nearly seven months, equivalent to a 14-month sentence. Instead, he was given a community order, with stern warnings about the seriousness of his offences. The judge emphasized that Hewitt’s previous guilty plea for similar offences at Lewes Crown Court last year demonstrated a troubling pattern of indifference towards such crimes.
Judge Hardy made it clear that this was Hewitt’s last chance to engage properly with the court-mandated sex offenders’ program. Failure to do so would result in severe consequences. Hewitt was also subjected to a three-year supervision order, a sexual offences prevention order, and his name was added to the sex offenders’ register. Hewitt, of Horsham, West Sussex, admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming on March 16, 2008, and was also charged with attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity between February 5 and March 17, 2008. However, the latter charges were ordered to remain on the court record without further proceedings.