CHRISTOPHER HIRCHFIELD, DERBY PAEDOPHILE, SENTENCED TO OVER TWO YEARS IN JAIL

In June 2021, Christopher Hirchfield, a 29-year-old from Littleover, Derby, was convicted of attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl he had groomed online and was subsequently jailed. Hirchfield had arranged to meet Lydia outside Derby Crown Court, promising to take her to a funfair and an all-night event.

During their online chats, Hirchfield insisted that 'age is just a number,' despite Lydia repeatedly informing him she was only 14. He asked her for explicit photographs and videos, demanding she touch herself sexually for his gratification. In response, Hirchfield sent images of himself performing the same acts.

However, when he arrived at the designated meeting point, instead of the teenage girl, he was confronted by members of an online paedophile hunter group who had been posing as the girl on Facebook.

Judge Nirmal Shant QC sentenced Hirchfield to two years and three months in prison, stating: 'What is clear from the chat is that you thought you were talking with a real 14-year-old girl but in fact you had contacted someone who was a decoy. What is also plain from the chat is that you were persistent and demanding in terms of what you wanted. On numerous occasions, despite being reminded she was only 14, you persisted in giving sexual instructions to her. It is also plain you knew you were doing something wrong telling her you were scared. But you proceeded to try and groom her and indeed arranged to meet her outside this crown court with the promise of an ‘all-nighter’. Little did you know it was not a 14-year-old you were meeting.'

Prosecutor Stephen Mather explained that Hirchfield had contacted the Facebook account of the decoy in February 2020, and their conversations quickly turned sexual, with Hirchfield requesting videos and images of her touching herself. Mather added, 'Lydia repeatedly told him she was only 14 but he replied in one message “age is just a number”. He asked for images of her feet, citing a foot fetish, and told her he wanted cuddles and an all-nighter. They arranged to meet outside Derby Crown Court, with Hirchfield claiming he would take her to a city centre funfair at the time.'

When Hirchfield arrived at the agreed meeting point, he was met by members of the online group, who said to him, “I did not realise this was going to happen.”

Hirchfield pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. In addition to his prison sentence, he was issued a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.