DAVID WAGSTAFF FROM ST IVES CAUGHT GROOMING CHILDREN THROUGH RANDOM TEXTS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE

In March 2017, a disturbing case emerged involving David Wagstaff, a man from Norris Road in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, who engaged in a series of inappropriate and potentially criminal communications with individuals he believed to be minors. Wagstaff, who had a prior history of similar offenses, was caught in a sting operation after a man in Scotland, who was not named in court, responded to a seemingly innocent message from Wagstaff.

The incident unfolded on March 23 of the previous year when Wagstaff sent a simple text message reading ‘Hi’ to the Scottish man. Curious, the recipient continued the conversation, asking Wagstaff if he could assist him. However, what started as a benign exchange quickly devolved into a series of sexually explicit messages. The Scottish man, who was led to believe he was communicating with a young girl, received a total of 49 messages, many of which contained detailed sexual content.

During the exchange, Wagstaff inquired if the recipient was female, and despite the man’s pleas of being only 15 years old and scared, Wagstaff persisted. Wagstaff’s messages revealed that he believed he was talking to a girl named ‘David’ from St Ives, Cambridgeshire, aged 50 at the time. He expressed a desire to be her boyfriend, professed love for her, and asked her to delete messages to hide his activities. The court heard that Wagstaff told the supposed girl he ‘didn’t want anyone else’ and continued to pursue the conversation with inappropriate intent.

The man, alarmed by Wagstaff’s conduct, contacted Crimestoppers and also reported the incident to police in both Scotland and Cambridgeshire. Wagstaff’s inappropriate behavior extended further when he asked whether the girl wore skirts to school, indicating a disturbing level of interest in her personal life. Remarkably, Wagstaff was still texting the man’s phone even as he was at the police station reporting the matter.

Wagstaff’s criminal record includes previous convictions of a similar nature, which underscored the seriousness of his actions. He was arrested on May 3 of the same year. During police interviews, Wagstaff admitted that he often fabricated phone numbers in his mind and waited to see if he would receive responses, suggesting a pattern of predatory behavior. His defense argued that Wagstaff’s actions were driven by low intelligence, social inadequacies, and curiosity, rather than malicious intent.

Despite these mitigating factors, Judge David Farrell at Cambridge Crown Court emphasized that Wagstaff’s conduct was unequivocally grooming behavior. He sentenced Wagstaff to an extended term of six years, comprising 18 months in prison followed by four and a half years on license. Additionally, Wagstaff was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely and was subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to prevent re-offending. Judge Farrell highlighted that the order was crucial to safeguarding the public, especially children, from potential harm.

In a related case from June 2015, Wagstaff admitted to sending inappropriate messages to strangers, including a young girl. The messages, which included sexually explicit language such as “do you like dirty texts?” and “I’m horny,” came to light after the girl showed her father, who then responded to Wagstaff pretending to be his daughter. The father’s intervention led to Wagstaff’s arrest, and he later admitted that he often sent such texts when feeling lonely and depressed. Wagstaff also acknowledged that he had spoken to a few adults through similar random messages but could not recall specifics due to alcohol consumption at the time.

Wagstaff’s history of offenses and his admitted motivations prompted the court to impose a community order, including supervision, electronic tagging, and participation in rehabilitation activities. The magistrates recognized his guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and considered his social and psychological issues, but ultimately emphasized the importance of protecting vulnerable individuals from predatory behavior.