YORK PREDATOR OWEN DRUETT CAUGHT TRYING TO LURE 12-YEAR-OLD BOY IN YORK
In September 2020, law enforcement authorities in York successfully apprehended Owen John Druett, a 22-year-old man with a disturbing history of predatory behavior.The arrest followed an operation by a regional organised crime unit focused on targeting individuals involved in online child exploitation and grooming activities.
According to prosecutor Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, Druett had been actively sending sexual messages over the internet to a person he believed to be a 12-year-old boy, whom he referred to as “Noah.” The messages included alarming and explicit content, with Druett urging the young individual to skip school and come to his residence.
He explicitly asked, “Can’t you leave school and come here?” and even instructed, “Come to my door, I will leave it unlocked, just come straight in.” Unbeknownst to Druett, the person he was communicating with was not a child but a police officer from the Yorkshire and Humberside Police Regional Organised Crime Unit, who was operating a sting to catch predators like him.
The police had been monitoring his online activity and, on December 11, 2018, they acted on the information gathered.
During the arrest near his home on Pottery Lane, off Malton Road in York, officers discovered that Druett possessed indecent images of children as young as 18 months old on his mobile device.
He admitted to the police that he used these images for sexual gratification, revealing a disturbing pattern of behavior.
Recorder Margia Mostafa addressed Druett during the court proceedings, stating, “You sent him extremely explicit messages, stating you wanted in essence...
sexual intercourse with him.” The court was informed that the police conduct was part of a broader effort to apprehend and prevent predatory paedophiles from exploiting children online.
In court, Druett pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including attempting to meet a child for sex and possessing indecent images of children.
The court heard that he had downloaded a total of 192 images, categorized into three levels of severity: 53 of the most serious kind, 131 of a middle category, and 108 of the least serious.
He explained to police that he had downloaded these images solely for his own sexual gratification.
As part of his sentencing, Druett was handed an 18-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years.
The court also ordered him to complete a rehabilitation program lasting up to 90 days, participate in 30 days of additional rehabilitative activities, and perform 100 hours of unpaid community service.
Furthermore, he was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a decade and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order that grants police the authority to monitor his online activities for seven years.
This case underscores the ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies in York to combat online child exploitation and protect vulnerable minors from predators like Owen Druett.
