Locations
Crown Close, St. Ives, Huntingdon PE27
Description
A Cambridgeshire paedophile who arranged to meet a teenager was caught out after she was revealed to be an adult. John Brewster messaged his intended victim, who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, on Facebook and WhatsApp.
He sent messages between July 11 and 15 and arranged to meet her later the same week. However when he arrived at their meeting point at just before 4.30pm on July 18, the girl was revealed to be an adult who then called the police.
Officers attended and Brewster, 67, of Crown Close, St Ives, was arrested. In his police interview he replied no comment to all questions.
He stood trial at Cambridge Crown Court from Tuesday, March 15. A jury took less than three hours to find him guilty of engaging in sexual communication with a child and inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in penetrative sexual activity.
Brewster was jailed for three years and four months at the same court on Thursday (March 17). He was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), to monitor any future offending, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register, both indefinitely.
Detective Sergeant George Neal, from the forces Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), said: Brewsters behaviour was shocking and inappropriate; using the internet in this way will not be tolerated. Phones and social media mean children can be vulnerable to those who prey on their innocence and exploit their trust.
Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we will continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.
Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to someone, can apply for disclosure information through Sarahs Law. For information and advice about child abuse, including online grooming, visit the forces dedicated child protection web page.