ANDREW HOOD CAUGHT IN BISHOP AUCKLAND AND CALDERCRUIX CHILD SEX PLOT

In January 2021, a disturbing incident unfolded involving Andrew Hood, a man who believed he was about to meet a 12-year-old girl at Durham Station. Hood, who was waiting at the station, was actually confronted by members of the online child protection group Innocent Voices, who had set up decoy profiles to catch predators attempting to engage with minors.

Hood, now aged 50, had been under suspicion for several months in 2019, during which he engaged in online conversations with three different girls, all purportedly aged 12. These exchanges, as revealed during the court proceedings, gradually escalated from innocent chats to more explicit sexual topics. The court heard that Hood had exchanged numerous messages and made several phone calls with these girls, fostering a false sense of trust and intimacy.

The prosecution detailed that Hood believed he had successfully persuaded one of the girls, who was supposedly traveling from Oxford, to meet him at Durham Station on October 27, 2019. He arranged to meet her off the train, promising her alcohol, a naked shower together, and sharing his double bed, all under the condition that she kept their plans secret. This arrangement was part of his attempt to carry out a sexual encounter with a minor.

On the day of the planned meeting, Hood received a call from the girl upon her arrival at Durham Station, during which he confirmed he was there to pick her up. However, instead of meeting a young girl, Hood was confronted outside the station by members of Innocent Voices, who had created the decoy profiles to trap him. The group’s intervention led to police being called, and Hood was promptly arrested at the scene.

Initially, Hood denied any malicious intent, claiming he was there to meet a girl who was coming to stay with him. However, he later admitted that he was there to meet a 12-year-old girl, although he denied having engaged in any prior sexual conversations with her or the other decoys.

Hood, who has previously lived in Durham and Bishop Auckland and is now residing in Caldercruix, Lanarkshire, Scotland, faced multiple charges. He pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to arrange or facilitate a child sex offence. The court was informed that Hood has an extensive criminal record, with 52 convictions covering 175 offences.

Judge James Adkin emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating that the act of arranging to meet children for sexual purposes is viewed very severely by the courts. He pointed out that Hood had taken the significant step of engaging with decoys, which demonstrated a clear intent to have sexual contact with a minor. The judge highlighted that such behavior goes beyond mere online communication and involves a dangerous progression towards physical contact.

As a result, Hood was sentenced to 21 months in prison. Additionally, he was placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and required to register as a sex offender for the next ten years, reflecting the gravity of his actions and the potential risk to the community.