JOHN HYDE CONFRONTED IN NOTTINGHAM OVER ONLINE CHAT WITH 'CHILD' BY PAEDOPHILE HUNTERS
In April 2021, a man from Nottingham named John Hyde was confronted at his home in Bestwood by a group of paedophile hunters who had tracked him down over his online interactions with what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl on Facebook.According to court proceedings at Nottingham Crown Court, a member of the vigilante group had posed as a young girl online, using a photograph with permission from a child of the same age.
During the course of the conversation, the girl told Hyde she was 14 years old, to which he responded that he was 29.
Hyde repeatedly made requests to meet the girl in person, despite her indicating that she was underage.
He also sent her photographs of his upper torso, claiming they were of himself, and on three separate occasions, he sent inappropriate images of his private parts.
Throughout their exchanges, Hyde reminded her to log out of Facebook every night to prevent her from being discovered in conversation with him.
Prosecutor Gregor Purcell explained that Hyde continued the sexualised dialogue at times and repeatedly expressed a desire to meet her once she was older.
The conversation was ultimately interrupted when Hyde was confronted at his residence in Bestwood by the paedophile hunters, prompting the police to be called to the scene.
John Hyde, now aged 31 and residing on Leybourne Drive, pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate with a child under the Sexual Offences Act.
He is currently unemployed.
During sentencing, Judge Stuart Rafferty QC addressed Hyde directly, stating, "You are 31, and interested in children, and don’t pretend that you are not because it won’t wash." The judge described Hyde’s actions as involving the propositioning of a child online using explicit language for his own sexual gratification.
He further noted that Hyde had not taken the next step of meeting the girl because she was not actually a child but an adult pretending to be one.
The judge emphasized that Hyde’s encouragement of the girl, believing her to be underage, was wholly inappropriate and could have led to imprisonment had the girl been real.
As part of his sentence, Hyde was given a 15-month prison term, suspended for two years.
Additionally, he was ordered to complete a two-year community order, which includes attending an accredited sex offender programme for up to 90 days.
Hyde will also be subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order, must sign the sex offenders’ register, and complete 25 days of rehabilitation activities.
