CHRISTOPHER PAPWORTH SENTENCED IN NEWCASTLE AFTER ONLINE PAEDOPHILE ACTS
In May 2021, Christopher Papworth was involved in a case that exposed his attempts to engage with a supposed underage girl online.He believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old called 'Susie Brown,' after discovering a profile created by members of the UK Justice group.
The profile, set up in February, claimed Susie was born in 2005, making her 14 at the time.
Despite the profile's age indicators, Papworth began sending sexual messages to the fake account.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Muir explained, "This is a decoy offence.
The defendant believed he was communicating online with a 14-year-old girl named Susie Brown.
During the course of these discussions he told who he believed to be Susie that he lived in the Walker area of Newcastle.
There were requests to meet her." Five days after the profile was established, UK Justice members visited Papworth’s home to confront him.
When he was not at home, they handed their evidence and messages over to the police, leading to his arrest.
The following day, Papworth was interviewed by officers.
Initially, he responded with "no comment," but eventually acknowledged that the trainers he wore in a photograph, where a man's penis was visible, matched those he was wearing during the interview.
Papworth, of Enslin Street, Walker, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to communicate sexually with a child and attempting to meet a child following grooming attempts.
During the sentencing, Judge Christopher Prince emphasized the severity of the charges, stating, "The offences you pleaded guilty to could have landed you in jail." However, instead of immediate imprisonment, Judge Prince sentenced Papworth to a three-year community order, allowing him the opportunity to undergo rehabilitation.
The order includes 20 sessions of therapeutic intervention and 40 group sessions focused on sex offender management.
Additionally, he is required to register as a sex offender for five years and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
