GARY SCUTCHINGS CAERNARFON AND LLANDUDNO SEX OFFENDER FROM LEYTON JAILED FOR GROOMING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Leyton, Llandudno, and Caernarfon, a 54-year-old man named Gary Scutchings has been sentenced to two years in prison for the heinous crime of sexually grooming a 14-year-old girl over the internet. The court proceedings revealed a disturbing pattern of manipulation and predatory behavior that culminated in a failed attempt to meet the young victim in person.

Gary Scutchings, a married father of two from Leyton, London, admitted to traveling to the seaside town of Llandudno in Conwy with the intent of meeting the girl he had been communicating with online. The court heard that he had returned to Llandudno 13 days after their initial contact, armed with handcuffs, a rope, and a large knife stored inside his vehicle, raising serious concerns about his intentions.

Following his conviction, Scutchings was placed on the sex offenders' register for a decade. The judge also imposed a lifetime ban on him working with children and ordered that he refrain from using the internet or making any contact with the girl for ten years. Given that he has already served 158 days in custody, he is eligible for release in less than a year.

The court was told that Scutchings had initially built a false friendship with the girl by pretending to be a young person named “Sophie.” Prosecutor Richard Edwards explained that after exchanging emails and mobile phone numbers, Scutchings revealed his true identity as a man. Initially, he claimed the girl believed he was 18 or 19 years old, but later he admitted to being 45.

Mr. Edwards detailed that after revealing his age, Scutchings sent text messages expressing a desire to make love to her. He also threatened to post pictures of her in her home area if she refused to meet him in person. The prosecutor highlighted that Scutchings, who drove a motorhome used by Formula One drivers, attempted to manipulate the girl into meeting him by promising that it would be a one-time encounter, implying she would not have to do it again.

During their meeting in Llandudno, the court heard that Scutchings bought the girl a school bag, mobile phone vouchers, and gave her a bracelet and sunglasses. The pair held hands, kissed, hugged, and discussed “sexual activity,” according to court records. However, the girl’s mother discovered text messages on her daughter’s phone five days later, prompting her to warn Scutchings via text message to cease all contact.

Despite this warning, Scutchings returned to North Wales 13 days later in an attempt to locate the girl. When unsuccessful, he stayed overnight at a hotel in Llandudno and returned the following morning to observe buses leaving for school, hoping to find her. His plans were thwarted when police arrested him.

During the arrest, authorities found a variety of items in his car, including women’s underwear, Viagra tablets, a bottle of champagne, and a disc containing pornographic images. Additionally, a bag containing handcuffs, a rope, and a large knife was recovered. Scutchings claimed that he wore the underwear himself and insisted that the items in the bag were not intended for any malicious purpose. He also denied blackmailing the girl with threats to post explicit pictures.

In court, Scutchings pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including meeting a girl after sexual grooming, engaging in sexual activity with a child, and making seven indecent photographs of children. His actions have been condemned by the court, which emphasized the severity of his predatory behavior and the danger posed to young victims in the digital age.