LOUIS TREZIESE CAUGHT IN CAMBRIDGE PAEDOPHILE HUNTER TRAP IN BISHOP'S STORTFORD

In November 2017, a man from Cambridge named Louis Treziese was sentenced to prison after a disturbing attempt to groom a minor for sexual activity in Bishop’s Stortford. The incident came to light when Treziese, 37 years old, engaged with what he believed was a 15-year-old boy on a dating app, with the intent of arranging a sexual encounter.

Unbeknownst to Treziese, the individual he was communicating with was not a teenage boy but a private investigator working undercover as part of the 'paedophile hunters' group known as CSE Interceptors. This group specializes in identifying and catching individuals attempting to exploit minors online. The private investigator posed as a 15-year-old on the popular app Grindr, engaging in conversations with Treziese and gathering evidence of his intentions.

During the exchange, Treziese repeatedly urged the supposed teenager to send explicit photographs, demonstrating a clear desire to engage in sexual activity. He also made explicit arrangements to meet behind a service station in Bishop’s Stortford, with the explicit purpose of having sex with the minor. Once the private investigator became aware of Treziese’s intentions, he promptly notified the police, leading to an intervention that prevented the meeting from taking place.

Following the police intervention, Treziese was arrested and taken into custody. Initially, he denied the charges of attempting to meet a child for sexual grooming. However, earlier this month, he changed his plea to guilty during a court hearing. The case was heard at St Albans Crown Court, where Judge Andrew Bright delivered the sentence on Tuesday, November 28.

Judge Bright emphasized the importance of the sentence, stating that it should serve as a clear warning to anyone involved in similar predatory behavior. He remarked, “The sentence should ‘send a message loud and clear’ to those preying on children that ‘you will go to prison’.”

During the proceedings, prosecutor Richard Paton-Philip explained how the private investigator, acting as part of the paedophile hunters, had posed as a 15-year-old boy on Grindr. He detailed the messages exchanged, in which Treziese urged the minor to send explicit images and made plans to meet for sex. The prosecutor highlighted that the private investigator’s intervention prevented the meeting, leading to Treziese’s arrest.

Judge Bright acknowledged that there might be aspects of Treziese’s character that are complex, but he was clear about the gravity of his actions. He stated, “I doubt they know the whole story, but they are prepared to speak well of you. There’s a lot of good to be said about you, [but] there’s an aspect of your personality that suggests you have a kink.”

Addressing Treziese directly, the judge remarked that the private investigator had been “fishing for people looking to abuse children,” and that Treziese had “taken the bait.” He pointed out the persistence shown in his attempts to engage in sexual activity with what he believed was a minor, emphasizing that Treziese did not appear reluctant and showed a blatant disregard for the fact that his target was a child. The judge warned that such actions could have easily involved a real boy, and expressed disgust at the thought of any parent of a 15-year-old being subjected to such behavior.