BRAIN STANYARD COALVILLE PAEDOPHILE SENT SICK MESSAGES TO 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL

In February 2018, a disturbing case of online child exploitation unfolded in Coalville, involving a man named Brian Stanyard. The incident was brought to light thanks to the efforts of the paedophile hunting organization known as The Innocence Keepers, based in Leeds. This group had set up a decoy profile under the alias Tiffany, using a photograph of a woman who was 14 years old at the time, to lure potential offenders.

Stanyard, a 52-year-old resident of Margaret Street in Coalville, became the target of the group's sting when he sent a friend request to the decoy profile in November of the previous year. The profile indicated that the user was 14 years old, prompting the man to respond. The girl, or rather the decoy, confirmed her age as 14 and inquired about his, to which Stanyard replied that he was also 14. This exchange marked the beginning of a series of increasingly inappropriate messages.

As the conversation progressed, the messages took on a sexual tone. The group monitored the chat and eventually confronted Stanyard, who was then arrested. He appeared before Leicester Crown Court to face charges after having previously pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a minor during an earlier hearing.

Prosecutor Lynsey Knott detailed the nature of the messages during the court proceedings. She stated, “He wrote ‘Hi, you gorgeous babe’ and said he wanted to kiss her and that he’d been thinking about her ‘all the time’.” The messages quickly escalated, with the defendant exchanging mobile phone numbers with the decoy and sending explicit photographs of himself in an aroused state. Stanyard also inquired about the girl’s address, suggesting he could visit her when her mother was not home. When she refused to send a nude picture of herself, he responded with vile abuse.

The Innocence Keepers had traced Stanyard’s home address through 192.com, which facilitated their confrontation. The group decided to approach him after he called the decoy ‘girl’ on November 29 and made further sexual remarks. When they arrived at his residence, a tense and heated exchange ensued. During the confrontation, Stanyard admitted to the group, who recorded the encounter, “I know what I’ve done, I can only apologise.”

Following this, police were called to the scene. Stanyard attempted to take an overdose of paracetamol and ibuprofen and was taken to hospital. When officers eventually interviewed him, he admitted to sending sexually explicit messages but was unable to explain his motives.

Stanyard, who is unemployed and has no children, was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. Additionally, he was ordered to participate in a sex offender rehabilitation program. His name will also be entered onto the sex offenders register for a period of ten years. Judge Robert Brown emphasized the severity of the offense, stating, “What you did amounts to child abuse. There was no actual victim but you didn’t know that and believed you were communicating with a 14-year-old child.”