‘CATFISHED’ MAN MESSAGED TEENAGE GIRL ON SUGAR DADDY WEBSITE
A Wiltshire man who said he was catfished on a sugar daddy website by a 14-year-old girl has been spared jail after a six-year delay to his case.Darrell Foster had signed up to Sugar Daddy Meet and started talking to the account of a girl who he initially thought was 18, the court heard.
The court was told Foster received a message from the account claiming it was from the girl’s father, who had confiscated her phone and grounded her after discovering her account.
Rebecca Erkan-Bax, prosecuting, said: “Mr Foster was alerted to the fact that the girl was 14 by her father.
The father warned Mr Foster that if he continued to communicate he would tell the police.” Despite this, Foster continued messaging the girl’s account but his “tone” changed, and he started suggesting they meet at places a young girl might like, such as Thorpe Park.
He denied knowing the girl was 14 when the offence happened in May 2017 but was only brought to court in July 2020, a judge heard.
Foster, of Milden Hall, Marlborough, was convicted after trial and appeared at Reading Crown Court for sentencing.
Judge Emma Nott accepted Foster did not target underage girls — he thought he was dealing with 18–25-year-olds — but did not see it as a “red flag” when he encountered one.
She also noted Foster’s failure to accept responsibility, stating it was a recurring theme, claiming he had been catfished.
The victim and her friend, both 14, had joined the website to make money and appeared in court to testify.
Judge Nott described them as immature and said the harm was low because the account was being operated by the girl’s father at the time.
She stated that since his arrest, Foster had not engaged with any further activity towards underage girls, which reduced the risk he posed.
Recognizing the delay in prosecution was largely beyond his control, the judge handed him an 18-month community order, including 40 days of Rehabilitation Activity, and ordered him to pay £2,800 in costs.
