DAVID MOFFAT SENT TO PRISON FOR ONLINE SEXUAL COMMUNICATIONS IN ALNWICK

In September 2017, David Moffat, a man residing in Alnwick, Northumberland, was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of engaging in inappropriate and illegal online communications with a teenage girl. The case drew significant attention due to the nature of the offences and the impact on the young victim and her family.

According to court records, Moffat, aged 43, was convicted of the recent offence of ‘engaging in sexual communication with a child,’ a charge that had only recently come into law at the time. The conviction followed an investigation into messages he sent via Facebook Messenger, which were deemed to be of a sexual nature and directed at a minor. The victim, a 15-year-old girl, was targeted by Moffat through social media, prompting her mother to take swift action upon discovering the messages.

The mother, a 39-year-old resident of Northumberland, expressed her horror and disgust upon reading the vile messages. She recounted her shock at the content of Moffat’s messages, which she described as deeply inappropriate and disturbing. Her words reflected her outrage, stating, “I was disgusted when I saw what he had written, I just wanted to kill him. I felt sick to think he had done this to my daughter, he must be sick in the head.” She emphasized the dangers posed by social media platforms like Facebook, warning other parents to remain vigilant about their children’s online interactions. “Facebook makes it easy for men like this. You must keep checking your children’s privacy settings and make sure their friends are actually their friends. You have to be so careful,” she added.

The mother’s concerns were heightened after she learned her daughter had been targeted by Moffat following a Facebook post. She was alerted to the situation by friends and immediately checked her daughter’s phone. Her account of the events revealed that she was on night shift at work when she received multiple calls and messages. A friend advised her to check her daughter’s Facebook account before she logged in, which she did once her daughter was in the shower. Upon inspection, she found numerous messages from Moffat, which prompted her to contact the police without delay.

Moffat’s residence was identified as Saint Michaels Square in Alnwick. He faced multiple charges, including sending a letter, communication, or article conveying false information, and engaging in sexual communication with a child. The court proceedings revealed that these offences occurred between June 1 and June 4 of that year. The judge at Newcastle Crown Court sentenced Moffat to 18 months in prison for his actions.

In addition to his prison sentence, the court imposed a 10-year restraining order to prevent him from contacting his young victim again. Moffat was also ordered to register as a sex offender for a decade, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities. The case has prompted the mother to take further precautions, including closely monitoring her daughters’ Facebook accounts and privacy settings. She explained that her daughter had recently updated her privacy controls, which she believed was a necessary step after the incident. “She has got all her privacy settings and everything on now. She didn’t have anything like that before. I didn’t think she needed it because she only had her friends from school and her family on there. But he must have searched for her. He went out of his way to find her,” she concluded, highlighting the importance of online safety and vigilance in protecting children from predators.