MICHAEL FEWTRELL JAILED IN CHATHAM FOR ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING TEXAS TEENAGER

In March 2014, a man from Chatham, identified as Michael Fewtrell, faced serious legal consequences after engaging in inappropriate online communications with a teenage girl in Texas. The case highlights the dangers of internet interactions crossing international boundaries and the importance of strict legal enforcement to protect minors.

Fewtrell, aged 29 and a divorced father residing on Constitution Road in Chatham, was initially considered for a caution or a magistrates' court deal. However, the case was escalated to Maidstone Crown Court, where the severity of his actions was fully recognized. The presiding judge, Judge Philip Statman, sentenced Fewtrell to eight months in prison, emphasizing that the law must be upheld to deter such behavior.

During the sentencing, Judge Statman remarked, “Rightly, in my judgement, you were committed to this court for sentence. You thought the law would not affect your activities as your victim was over the age of consent. How wrong you were.” The judge underscored that Fewtrell believed he could exploit the situation because the girl was over the UK’s legal age of 16, but clarified that the law regarding online exchanges of explicit images is much stricter, with the age of consent for such activities set at 18.

The case came to light after U.S. authorities, specifically Homeland Security, provided information to British police about Fewtrell’s contact with the girl through an internet chatroom. The girl’s mother discovered messages on her computer in Austin, Texas, which revealed that Fewtrell had been asking personal questions, including whether she was a virgin. The mother also found explicit photographs that Fewtrell had requested and which were taken at his behest, despite the girl being only 16 at the time.

Prosecutor Ian Foinette explained that the girl had initially refused to send photographs but eventually agreed, sending explicit images to Fewtrell for her birthday in 2012 before deleting them from her iPad. Fewtrell was arrested on April 29 of the previous year, and during police interviews, he claimed he believed it was acceptable to exchange such images with someone over 16, asserting that the law did not prohibit this.

Defense lawyer Tom Stern argued that if Fewtrell and the girl had been physically together, they could legally engage in sexual activity, and emphasized that Fewtrell was not classified as a pedophile. He also pointed out that Fewtrell had lost his job and reputation due to the case, asserting that his client was not a habitual offender.

Judge Statman, however, made it clear that the motive behind Fewtrell’s actions was purely for sexual gratification. “The law is framed to protect children,” he stated. “In my judgement, this is a case that calls for a sentence which sends out a clear message that those who go into chatrooms, arrange for pornographic photos to be taken, and use them for sexual gratification, will face immediate imprisonment.”

As part of his sentence, Fewtrell was subject to a sexual offences prevention order, and his name will be entered on the sex offenders’ register for a period of ten years, reflecting the seriousness with which the court viewed his conduct.