JOHN SANDERS CAUGHT IN BARNSEY PAEDOPHILE HUNTER STING IN CHESTERFIELD

In a disturbing case that unfolded in July 2020, an elderly man from Barnsley was caught in a sting operation conducted by paedophile hunters after he became deeply involved in an online fantasy fueled by his inappropriate desires.

According to reports presented at Sheffield Crown Court on July 3, John Sanders, aged 69 and residing on Thorncliffe Way in Tankersley, Barnsley, engaged in online conversations that quickly turned sexual and predatory in nature. The conversations began in 2018 when Sanders started communicating with a member of the paedophile hunter group known as The Original Team Hunters 25/8, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl.

As the online exchanges progressed, Sanders and the decoy moved their communication to WhatsApp. It was during these exchanges that Sanders made explicit sexual requests, asking the girl if she masturbated and whether she had pubic hair. He also admitted to masturbating himself during the conversation, revealing his inappropriate intentions.

Despite the initial online contact, Sanders expressed a desire to meet the girl in person. He agreed to meet her twice, but both meetings were canceled by the group. However, in July 2018, the decoy arranged to meet Sanders in Chesterfield town centre. During this planned encounter, Sanders explicitly stated his intention to perform oral sex on the girl. The police, who had been monitoring the situation, intervened before the meeting could take place and arrested Sanders.

Following his arrest, law enforcement officers seized Sanders’s phone and two laptops. A forensic examination uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images of children, categorized as A, B, and C, with Category A being the most severe. Additionally, officers found extreme pornography on his devices, further highlighting the gravity of his offenses.

Sanders pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, possessing indecent images of children across all categories, and possessing extreme pornography. His guilty plea reflected the seriousness of his actions and the evidence against him.

Judge Sarah Wright sentenced Sanders to 23 months in prison, but the sentence was suspended for two years. As part of his rehabilitation, Sanders was also subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a period of ten years, ensuring ongoing monitoring and restrictions to prevent further offenses.