GARY NEVILLE GROOMED TEEN GIRLS ONLINE IN GAINESBOROUGH AND ESCAPES JAIL

In September 2019, a man from Gainsborough was caught in a disturbing online sting operation after attempting to groom what he believed were underage girls. The individual, identified as Gary Neville, aged 55, was found to have engaged in inappropriate and sexually explicit communications with what he thought were teenage girls on a chatroom platform.

According to reports, Neville believed he was messaging two girls aged 13 and 14. His interactions escalated over a two-week period, during which he exchanged numerous explicit messages. He made arrangements to meet one of the girls, an adult woman, at Gainsborough Central railway station. However, upon arriving at the station, Neville was confronted by members of a paedophile hunter group called ‘Strike,’ who had conducted the sting on behalf of the organization ‘Justice for Kids (J4K).’

Prosecutor Almas Ben-Aribia detailed the case, explaining that the group had set up decoy accounts under the names Sophie and Alannah, which Neville contacted through the chatroom. She stated, “He was told of their ages. He informed Sophie of his correct age and said he liked looking at young people. He sent a number of sexually explicit messages to her and requested a photograph back.”

Ben-Aribia further revealed that Neville explicitly expressed his desire to have sex with the girls. Over the course of their conversations, he sent sexually explicit messages to Alannah, including a photograph of his genitals, and requested similar images from her. Neville also asked Alannah to remove her clothes and told her he wanted to have sex with her. Additionally, he invited both girls to touch him in a sexual manner.

Following the confrontation at Gainsborough Central Station, Neville was arrested by police officers who had been alerted by members of the online child protection group. During police interviews, Neville admitted to initiating the chats, claiming he started the conversations out of boredom. He described his actions as a “moment of madness” and expressed regret for his behavior.

Neville, who currently has no fixed address but is originally from Gainsborough, pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, relating to incidents between June 30 and July 13 of that year. His legal representative, Michael Cranmer-Brown, highlighted the personal toll on Neville, stating, “The impact upon the defendant has been significant. He has been divorced by his wife and he has had to leave his home in Gainsborough. He has lost his job because he was remanded in custody, he has lost his wife and he has lost his hometown because he is not going to be able to go back there.”

In sentencing, Neville was given a two-year community order. He was also ordered to complete a sex offenders’ rehabilitation programme and was assigned a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 40 days, aimed at addressing his behavior and preventing future offenses.