EDWARD WOODS FROM TUNBRIDGE WELLS SENTENCED AFTER SEXUAL TEXTS TO TEENAGE GIRL

In a case that has shocked the community of Tunbridge Wells, Edward William Woods, a resident of Walnut Way in the High Brooms area, faced the courts following allegations of attempting to communicate sexually with a minor. Woods appeared before Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court, where he pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, a serious offense that has garnered significant attention.

Prosecutor Kumud Singh detailed the circumstances leading to Woods' arrest. The incident began when Woods, a labourer by profession, reportedly encountered a teenage girl as she was walking to school in April of the previous year. According to the victim's statement, Woods would often greet her with casual remarks such as, “good morning, isn’t the weather good today?” during their brief encounters. However, the situation escalated when, on a particular day, Woods followed her and called out to her from behind, saying “oi,” before handing her a piece of paper containing his name and phone number.

The victim, feeling uneasy, confided in a school friend about the encounter. Acting on her concerns, the friend’s mother decided to contact Woods via the number he had provided. When she sent a message, the responses from Woods became increasingly inappropriate and sexual in nature. When asked what he would be thinking about, Woods replied, “you on top,” which raised alarm bells and prompted further investigation.

Following police identification, Woods was arrested. During questioning, he claimed that the sexual messages were sent after he believed he was communicating with someone other than the teenage girl. Woods also stated that he did not understand the meaning of the phrase “you on top” and attributed the inappropriate messages to the quirks of predictive text technology, claiming that “predictive text does all sorts of things.”

In court, messages sent by Woods were read aloud, including one where he expressed a desire to “kiss you, cuddle you and bite you all over.” The court heard these explicit exchanges, which confirmed the serious nature of the communication.

Chairman of the bench, Louise Bryant, sentenced Woods to a 91-day jail term, which was suspended for 12 months. Additionally, Woods was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work. The court also imposed a five-year sexual harm prevention order to restrict Woods’ contact with minors and fined him a total of £415. This case underscores the importance of vigilance and the potential dangers posed by inappropriate online communications, especially involving minors in the Tunbridge Wells area.