SCOTT MARSH JONES/HAWTHORN FROM BIRMINGHAM ESCAPES PRISON DESPITE MULTIPLE OFFENSIVE CONTACTS WITH CHILD DECOYS

In December 2016, a man from Birmingham, identified as Scott Marsh Jones, also known as Hawthorn, narrowly avoided a prison sentence despite engaging in highly concerning and inappropriate communications with online child protection decoys. The case drew significant attention due to the repeated nature of his misconduct and the serious implications of his actions.

Jones was caught on two separate occasions by the vigilant online child protection team known as the Guardians of the North. These incidents involved him engaging in conversations with two different decoy accounts, each pretending to be a young girl—one aged 13 and the other just 11. The team’s investigators revealed that Jones initiated contact with the second decoy after he had already been charged with attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16, a charge related to grooming behavior, and was currently on bail at the time.

Throughout these interactions, the conversations took on increasingly sexual overtones. The decoys reported that Jones repeatedly made explicit sexual requests and discussed what might happen if they were to meet in person. His language and topics of conversation were described as highly graphic and disturbing, with the defendant asking about sexual acts and expressing a desire to meet the girls for sexual purposes.

Following these incidents, Jones was brought before the court and received an 18-month suspended sentence. In addition to this, he was ordered to comply with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, which restricts his activities and contact with minors. He was also mandated to register as a sex offender for a decade, a measure intended to monitor and manage his potential risk to the community.

The judge also imposed a supervision order, explicitly prohibiting Jones from being in the company of anyone under the age of 16. Furthermore, he was banned from possessing any devices capable of taking photographs or accessing the internet, aiming to prevent further online misconduct.

Representatives from the Guardians of the North expressed their shock and disappointment at the outcome of the case. A spokesperson described Jones’s comments as the most graphic they had encountered in their work and expressed their disbelief that he had contacted not just one but two decoys while on bail. They criticized the sentence as insufficient, arguing that it failed to serve as an effective deterrent and did little to prevent future offending. The case highlights ongoing concerns about online safety and the challenges faced by authorities in dealing with individuals who pose a risk to children.