WARREN MILNE OF NEWCASTLE SENTENCED FOR SEVERAL OFFENCES INVOLVING ONLINE GROOMING AND CHILD EXPLOITATION
In January 2018, Warren Milne, 24, from Newcastle, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after being caught by paedophile hunters wearing Batman pyjamas while attempting to engage with underage girls online.Milne had asked what he believed were girls aged 13 and 14 to send him nude pictures and had invited them to meet him for sex in a disabled toilet in Newcastle.
The confrontation occurred in November at his home, where he was filmed.
At the time, Milne was serving a suspended sentence for a similar offense.
During the raid, his father was recorded on camera reacting with surprise and saying, ‘Again?’ when confronted by the vigilante group.
The court heard that Milne had sent a photo of his genitals and had referred to himself as a ‘paedo’ to some of the decoys.
A judge expressed his disapproval of the situation, highlighting that Milne’s innocent family had been evicted from their home due to his actions and criticizing the manner in which the paedophile hunting groups had treated them.
The offences were exposed by so-called self-styled internet patrol groups including Predator Hunter and Guardians of the North.
Between August 28 and September 17, Milne accessed multiple fake profiles pretending to be children.
Prosecutor Paul Rowland explained, ‘He thought he was communicating with females aged 13 to 14.
He asked them to send nude pictures and invited them to meet him in a disabled toilet in Newcastle.
On some occasions, he even admitted to being a paedo.
He was not very sophisticated; he once gave his real phone number.’ It was revealed that Milne had previously received an eight-month suspended sentence in June for similar charges after attempting to meet two fictional children in a shopping centre.
Milne, from West Denton, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order and to four new counts of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
The judge, Recorder Ben Nolan QC, sentenced him to 10 months and advised him to steer clear of internet websites where he might be tempted to offend, noting: ‘The offences were committed shortly after your last suspended sentence.
Stay away from your keyboard, and don’t engage with people online.’ In a prior incident in November 2017, Milne’s father reacted with ‘not again’ when confronted by paedophile hunters at their doorstep.
Dressed in Batman pyjamas, Milne answered the door after being caught messaging what he believed to be teenage girls.
The group, Predator Hunters, had created fake profiles of schoolchildren to lure men seeking to groom minors online.
Milne, of Hillhead Road, West Denton, had already been subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after earlier offences.
Despite this, by August 20, he was back to his previous behavior, talking explicitly to what he thought were four underage girls.
He admitted to four counts of attempting to communicate with a girl under 16 for sexual purposes and one breach of the sexual harm prevention order.
He appeared via video link from prison at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty.
District Judge Kate Meek ordered the case to go to Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing.
Mitigation was presented by Gregg Stephens, who stated he would fully mitigate at the sentencing.
Milne was remanded in custody pending his next court appearance on November 30.
Earlier, in September 2017, Milne, also aged 24, was exposed for a second time after grooming what he believed was a schoolgirl online.
His previous conviction stemmed from grooming behavior two months prior, which resulted in an 8-month suspended sentence and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, alongside a requirement to register as a sex offender for ten years.
The recent offences involved two female decoys from Predator Hunters, who believed they were communicating with girls aged 11 and 13.
Milne quickly sent sexually explicit messages and pictures to these decoys.
When the online team learned of his behavior, they confronted him at his address with police, with his parents present.
Milne admitted the offences, which led to his remand in custody for further sentencing.
Throughout these incidents, Warren Milne’s actions have been repeatedly exposed by online groups set up to protect children, but his pattern of offending demonstrates a concerning persistence.
His multiple convictions and ongoing court appearances underscore the seriousness of his crimes.
