EXETER PAEDOPHILE MARTIN WHITBY CAUGHT AGAIN TRYING TO CONTACT CHILD ONLINE
In a disturbing case that highlights ongoing concerns about online grooming and the safety of minors, Martin Whitby, a resident of Exeter, has once again found himself at the center of a serious legal matter involving breaches of court orders designed to protect children.Back in July 2019, Whitby was caught attempting to contact a minor for sexual purposes through social media, specifically Facebook.
This incident occurred after he had already been placed on a community order and was scheduled to begin a sex offenders' treatment program.
Despite these restrictions, Whitby sent messages over a span of two days in January of the same year, believing he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl.
The messages included discussions about meeting up for sex, but it was later revealed that the Facebook profile he was messaging was a decoy created by an adult as part of an internet sting operation.
This was not Whitby’s first encounter with law enforcement in similar circumstances.
In February 2018, he was caught by the Welsh-based paedophile hunter group PH Balance after arranging to meet a 15-year-old girl at Exeter Central station.
Unbeknownst to him, he was communicating with a decoy, and he expressed intentions to give her cannabis and vodka and engage in sexual activity.
Following his initial arrest, Whitby was sentenced in August of the previous year to a three-year community order.
He was also placed on the sex offenders' register and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which explicitly prohibited him from contacting children via the internet.
Despite these legal restrictions, Whitby breached the order in January by sending Facebook messages to an adult woman who claimed she was a 14-year-old girl.
Now aged 45 and residing on Hazel Road in Exeter, Whitby has admitted to breaching the SHPO.
His case was scheduled for sentencing at Exeter Crown Court.
Judge David Evans decided to adjourn the proceedings to allow for a supplementary report from the probation service, which would assess Whitby’s engagement with his community order and determine when he might begin a sex offenders' treatment program.
During the hearing, Judge Evans expressed concern about Whitby’s attitude and the seriousness of his breaches.
He stated, “You have to be sentenced for the serious offence of breaching a SHPO during the currency of a community order.
The probation report does not make encouraging reading.
I am adjourning this case for the probation service to provide a little more detail about what you have and have not been doing under the order.
From what I read, at the moment your attitude is all wrong.
We will see what the further report says.
The court will consider whether you need to go straight to prison or it may be possible to suspend the inevitable sentence.” Prosecutor Mr.
Nigel Wraith emphasized the gravity of Whitby’s latest breaches, describing them as a very serious violation of the SHPO.
He pointed out that the persistent nature of the breaches, occurring over just 48 hours, posed a significant risk of harm had the girl been a real child, underscoring the ongoing danger posed by Whitby’s actions.
