Paedophile who arranged to meet young teen is caught when adult turns up instead and calls police

A man who arranged to meet a young teenage girl he contacted on social media for sex was caught when the "girl" he thought he was meeting turned out to be an adult who then called the police.

John Brewster, 67, had messaged who he thought was a 14-year-old girl on Facebook and Whatsapp between 11 and 15 July last year and arranged to meet her later that same week.

But he was duped by an adult who then called Cambridgeshire Police.

Officers then arrested Brewster, of Crown Close, St Ives. In police interview he replied “no comment” to all questions.

He stood trial at Cambridge Crown Court with jurors taking 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.

He was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), to monitor any future offending, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register, both indefinitely.

Det Sgt George Neal, from the force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said: “Brewster’s 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.”