Sheffield pervert trapped by paedophile hunter group walks free from court

An online pervert has walked free from court with a suspended prison sentence after he was snared by a paedophile hunter group.
By Jon Cooper
Published 4th Sep 2022, 04:05 BST
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Kenneth Turner, aged 55, from the Manor area of Sheffield, struck up sexual conversations online with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl when she was actually a fake profile set up by a paedophile hunter group, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.

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Prosecuting barrister James Baird told the hearing on September 2 the defendant was communicating via Facebook Messenger with a decoy set up by a paedophile hunter group called Stop posing as a 13-year-old girl before he arranged a meeting and was arrested by police at Sheffield railway station.

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Pictured is Kenneth Turner, aged 55, leaving Sheffield Crown Court after he was sentenced to six months of custody suspended for two years after he pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.Pictured is Kenneth Turner, aged 55, leaving Sheffield Crown Court after he was sentenced to six months of custody suspended for two years after he pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Pictured is Kenneth Turner, aged 55, leaving Sheffield Crown Court after he was sentenced to six months of custody suspended for two years after he pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

MORE: Photo gallery: Sex offenders locked up by Sheffield judges this year

Judge Graham Robinson told Turner: “They found you and thank goodness they did and thank goodness Erin was not a real 13-year-old.”

Turner’s conversations were sexual, according to Mr Baird, with him asking what the profile wore in bed, whether she wore a bra and what was the colour of her underpants as well as asking about touching her sexually.

MORE: Sheffield sex offender snared by paedophile hunter group is jailed after breaching terms suspended prison sentence

Mr Baird added: “They had talked about meeting and getting a hotel initially in Chesterfield and then Sheffield where they could share a bed together.

“He turned up at Sheffield railway station and was recognised by a member of Stop and he was arrested.”

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Turner, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between May and June, 2020.

Judge Robinson recognised Turner is regarded as someone of extremely low intelligence and that the offences were committed two years ago and there has been no further offending.

Defence barrister Peter Byrne told the judge: “The offences are clearly serious and they cross the custody threshold but my submission is this, that your Honour will make the proper adjustment to the sentencing with the details set out, and that this was a decoy.”

Judge Robinson sentenced Turner to six months of custody suspended for nine months with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

The defendant was also made subject to the Sex Offenders Register for seven years and to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.