STEPHEN SHILL FROM PLYMOUTH JAILED FOR ONLINE GROOMING OF 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL
In December 2020, a disturbing case unfolded involving Stephen Shill, a 57-year-old man from Valley View Close in Compton, Plymouth, who was convicted of grooming a young girl through social media platforms.The incident came to light after the victim’s father, who is legally unable to be named, requested access to his daughter’s phone to check her SIM card.
During this examination, he discovered messages of a highly sexualized nature exchanged between his daughter and Shill, which prompted further investigation.
Shill had initially initiated contact with the girl via Twitter, where he created a false online identity.
He later asked for her mobile phone number and continued their communication through WhatsApp.
Throughout the exchanges, Shill lied about his age, claiming to be a young teacher in his early twenties, while in reality, he was 57.
The court heard that he had encouraged the girl to perform sexual acts on herself and to send explicit photographs.
Additionally, he sent her indecent images of himself, further crossing boundaries of appropriate conduct.
Prosecutor Emily Pitts detailed that the messages revealed Shill’s intentions to meet the girl in person.
He suggested they could meet on November 24, 2018, and expressed a desire to touch her body.
He also inquired whether she could perform oral sex on him and if they could engage in sexual activity.
The girl responded that she would have to wait until she turned 18, which was three years away.
Despite this, Shill continued to communicate with her, even after claiming he had broken his ankle and canceled their planned meeting on November 22, 2018.
When arrested, Shill claimed he remembered writing to a young woman but insisted he had ceased contact once he realized her age.
However, police examination of his phones revealed that he had known early on that she was under the age of consent, yet he persisted in communicating with her.
Police documents, spanning 32 pages of messages, confirmed that the girl admitted her age as 15 on the second page of the conversation.
During the court proceedings, a victim impact statement was read, revealing that the girl had been significantly affected by the incident.
She expressed feelings of difficulty in talking to friends on group chats, a sense of guilt, and struggles with her studies due to the emotional toll.
The court was also informed that she felt partially responsible for what happened.
Judge Mousely sentenced Shill to 18 months in prison for inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and an additional six months for communicating with a minor for sexual gratification, with both sentences to run concurrently.
The judge also dismissed the possibility of a suspended sentence.
Furthermore, Shill was ordered to be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.
As the sentence was announced, Shill appeared visibly shocked, covering his mouth with both hands, and when they fell away, his mouth remained agape, reflecting the gravity of his conviction.
