Shropshire man who sent sex messages to decoy accounts has been 'punished in the community', court told
“He has attracted what can only be described as unacceptable vigilante behaviour at his home address”
A man who urged people he thought were 13-year-old girls to perform sex acts has been sentenced after a court heard he has been the victim of “unacceptable vigilante behaviour”.
Matthew Pritchard, 33 and of Park View, Broseley, contacted two accounts which he thought belonged to teenage girls but were actually police decoys, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.
The court was told Pritchard had pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to incite a child into sexual activity and two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Myles Wilson, prosecuting, said the offences took place over the course of nine days in January 2024.
The court heard Pritchard had contacted two profiles purporting to belong to teenage girls on a social media platform for teenagers.
The communication subsequently moved onto Snapchat.
Mr Wilson told the court that both profiles had told Pritchard they were 13 and that he had admitted being 31 at the time.
But both profiles were actually ‘decoys’ belonging to police officers working online to track down sex offenders.
Mr Wilson said that during conversations with the profiles Pritchard had encouraged both to engage in sexual acts.
The court was told that after Pritchard was arrested police found evidence of other online discussions with profiles for girls aged 14 to 16, with talk about images being exchanged.
Targeted
Debra White, mitigating on Pritchard’s behalf, said he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and is “genuinely remorseful and ashamed at his behaviour”.
She added that in a pre-sentence report with the probation service he had accepted responsibility for his actions.
Ms White said that since being arrested Pritchard had also been targeted by vigilantes, forcing him to leave his home.
She said: “He has attracted what can only be described as unacceptable vigilante behaviour at his home address, which means he cannot reside there.”
She said the 33-year-old had also lost his job and has received an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, and had experienced major depressive disorder at the time of the offending.
Addressing his crimes Ms White said: “It has not happened before and it has not happened since.”
Describing Pritchard as “vulnerable” she added: “He has been punished in the community in a way he should not have been.”
Sentencing, Judge Anthony Lowe said Pritchard would receive 22 months in prison, suspended for two years.
As part of the suspended sentence order he must complete 12 rehabilitation days with the Probation Service, as well as 100 hours of unpaid work.
He was also made subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order, and will be on the sex offenders register for ten years.