MICHAEL ANDREWS FROM CHIPPENHAM JAILED FOR GROOMING A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN POLICE STING

In December 2019, a disturbing case emerged involving Michael Andrews, a 49-year-old man from Chippenham, who was convicted of grooming a young girl he believed to be just 13 years old. The incident unfolded after Andrews engaged in a series of online conversations with what he thought was a minor girl, but was actually an undercover police officer from the regional organised crime unit.

Andrews initiated contact with the girl through Kik, a popular instant messaging application among teenagers, and over a period of seven weeks, he exchanged numerous explicit messages. During these exchanges, he expressed his intentions to meet her in person and promised to provide her with a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone equipped with a private number, urging her to keep their communications secret. The court heard that Andrews also brought along items such as Haribo sweets, condoms, and a blanket, intending to meet the girl in a woodland area near Sandy Lane, Chippenham.

In early July 2019, the grooming process intensified as Andrews began to encourage the girl to perform sexual acts, suggesting they keep their conversations confidential. He also sent her a photograph of a blanket he planned to bring for their meeting. On August 8th, Andrews drove his work van to the designated woodland location, where he had prepared the items he promised, including the mobile phone, the blanket, condoms, and sweets. His plan was to meet the girl in person, but instead, he was confronted by police officers who had been monitoring the situation.

During the court proceedings at Swindon Crown Court, Andrews pleaded guilty to four charges, including attempting to engage a child in sexual activity and attempting to encourage a child to watch a sexual act. Judge Peter Crabtree sentenced him to 27 months in prison and ordered him to sign the sex offenders' register for ten years. The judge highlighted the seriousness of the grooming, noting that Andrews had encouraged the girl, whom he believed to be 13, to perform a sexual act on herself.

Clare Fear, representing Andrews, stated that her client had entered early guilty pleas, had no previous criminal record, and expressed remorse for his actions. She also emphasized that the offending had caused significant distress to Andrews' family. As part of his sentence, Andrews will also be subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, aimed at protecting the public from future offences.