East Cambridgeshire man posed as soldier online to groom teenage girl
A man who set up a fake online profile in which he pretended to be a soldier so he could groom a teenage girl has been jailed.
Michael Hewitt, 19, from Swaffham Prior, denied two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, but was found guilty by a jury during a trial at Cambridge Crown Court.
The court heard Hewitt had failed to start a relationship with the girl, so set up a fake social media account in March 2020 and contacted her, immediately asking for sex.
The victim, who was 15 at the time, did not respond but Hewitt persisted and the victim began to reply.
Over time, he tricked her into starting an online relationship with his fictional soldier persona, claiming to be serving in Afghanistan.
After messaging for several weeks, and following constant requests, the victim sent him intimate photos and videos.
Hewitt then mentioned himself in messages sent by his alias to the victim.
On May 12, he sent an email from another fake account, claiming to be the father of his alias.
In the message, he claimed the ‘soldier’ had died in Afghanistan and that his dying wish was for the victim to start a relationship with Hewitt.
The victim’s mother became concerned about the relationship, after not seeing any British military deaths reported in the news, and contacted police.
Officers visited Hewitt to speak to him about his friendship with the soldier but he denied knowledge of the man and the investigation continued.
Officers in East Cambridgeshire later arrested him and seized his electronic devices. The IP address at his home was linked to messages supposedly sent by the fake soldier and the soldier’s father.
Hewitt was jailed for 18 months last Friday (December 2) at Peterborough Crown Court.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
PC Guy Spencer said: “Hewitt went to great lengths to complete this deception and take advantage of the victim.
“She fully believed Hewitt’s alias was real and the online relationship was genuine. To deceive someone and then abuse that trust is awful.
“I hope that Hewitt spends his 18 months in custody considering the impact his actions have had on the victim and her family.
“Finally, I would like to thank the victim for her courage in giving evidence and her patience for what has been a long investigation.”