CRAMINGTON MAN ROSS WILCOX CAUGHT BY DARK JUSTICE AT NEWCASTLE STATION TRYING TO MEET 14-YEAR-OLD FOR SEX

In a disturbing incident that unfolded in September 2017, Ross Wilcox, a 30-year-old resident of Cramlington, Northumberland, was caught in a sting operation conducted by the online child protection group Dark Justice. The incident took place at a Metro station in Newcastle, where Wilcox had arranged to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.

Wilcox had been under suspicion after he believed he was communicating with an underage girl through an adult dating website called Tagged. He thought he was exchanging explicit messages with a minor, but in reality, he was communicating with members of Dark Justice, who had set up a fake profile under the name Sarah to lure potential offenders.

On the day of the incident, Wilcox arrived at the Newcastle Metro station carrying a condom, indicating his intentions. He was immediately confronted by members of the paedophile hunting group, who had been monitoring his online activity. During the confrontation, Wilcox insisted to the group that he had done nothing wrong, pleading, “I’ve done nowt, please.” Despite his protests, he refused to speak to police officers at the scene.

Later, Wilcox was taken into custody and faced court proceedings. He eventually admitted to a charge of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Prosecutor Neil Pallister outlined that Wilcox had initially engaged with a fake profile created by Dark Justice, which was designed to mimic a 14-year-old girl named Sarah. The conversation quickly escalated from casual chatting to private, graphic messages sent via WhatsApp, despite Wilcox being explicitly told that Sarah was only 14 years old.

During the exchanges, Wilcox made explicit comments, including one message stating, “I would be dirty if you wanted me to,” and discussed potential sexual positions if she wanted to “try sex.” These messages demonstrated his clear intent to pursue a sexual encounter with a minor.

Within just four days of initiating contact with the fake profile in February, Wilcox arranged a meeting at the Newcastle station. Law enforcement officers, acting on the evidence gathered from the online conversations, arrested him at the scene.

In sentencing, Recorder Simon Kealey imposed a sentence of 20 weeks in prison, which was suspended for 18 months. Additionally, Wilcox was ordered to sign the sex offenders register, reflecting the seriousness of his actions and the potential risk posed to minors.