JOHN REYNOLDS AND SHOCKING CHILD SEXUAL ATTEMPT IN LANCASTER
| Red Rose Database
Lancaster Sexual Abuser
A man with ties to Lancaster found himself in serious legal trouble after attempting to meet a minor in Carlisle and engaging in inappropriate online conversations. John Reynolds, 43, a former supermarket employee and business graduate, was arrested outside the Halston Hotel near Carlisle railway station following a police operation that revealed disturbing intentions.
The incident occurred on July 27 of the previous year, when Reynolds was staying at the Halston Hotel in Warwick Road, ostensibly for reasons related to his former employment. During his stay, Reynolds activated a Grindr profile through which he initiated contact with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. Reynolds’ response to the undercover officer’s identification as a teenage minor was dismissive, simply stating: "That's young." Early in their conversation, Reynolds even sent an explicit photograph of himself, further escalating the troubling interaction.
The chat quickly turned sexualised, with Reynolds openly expressing his interest in meeting a young boy for sexual purposes. According to prosecutor Brendan Burke at Carlisle Crown Court, Reynolds mentioned he was seeking fun with a guy and repeatedly asked the person he believed to be a juvenile to send photographs. The officer involved clarified that he had not engaged in any illegal activity himself; Reynolds was unwittingly communicating with an undercover police officer.
Encouraged by Reynolds, the conversation progressed to arranging a physical meeting in Carlisle city centre. Reynolds asked the apparent minor what he wanted to do, to which the reply was: "Whatever you want; we’ll see what happens." He then suggested they could go to the hotel where he was staying, describing it as a nice place. The two agreed to meet outside the Hallmark Hotel near Carlisle railway station, where Reynolds was promptly arrested at 8:40 pm.
When questioned by police, Reynolds claimed he believed the individual he was communicating with was at least 18, citing Grindr’s minimum age requirement as the basis for his assumption. He admitted to understanding that his messages and intentions were inappropriate but insisted he did not have any actual child involved. Reynolds’s defence lawyer, Jacob Dyer, acknowledged that Reynolds recognized he should not have engaged in such conversations, especially during a tumultuous period following the breakdown of his marriage.
Dyer explained that Reynolds was experiencing significant personal upheaval, including struggles with sleep, alcohol use, and sleeping tablets, and had recently begun using dating apps amidst his emotional distress. Reynolds, described as a man of previously good character who had worked extensively at Booths supermarket and held a degree in business management, expressed deep remorse for his actions. His arrest led to six days in custody, after which Reynolds suffered a breakdown that required four weeks of hospitalization. Since then, he had ceased drinking and was on antidepressants.
In court, Judge Guy Mathieson emphasized the serious nature of Reynolds's conduct, stating, "What a spectacular fall from grace to have you stood before this court today." The judge acknowledged Reynolds’s emotional struggles but made it clear that he was aware Reynolds understood the gravity of his actions. The judge rejected Reynolds’s claim of misunderstanding the age of the person he was communicating with, asserting that his repeated attempts to engage sexually with what he knew or should have known to be an underage individual were blatant.
The judge described Reynolds’s attempt to meet the minor outside Carlisle railway station as "horrendous" and remarked on the perilous proximity to criminal charges. Recognizing Reynolds’s remorse and the lessons learned from his brief incarceration, Judge Mathieson sentenced him to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years. Reynolds is mandated to complete an accredited treatment program and will be on the Sex Offender Register for ten years. Additionally, he will be subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order and must participate in 20 rehabilitation activity days.
Reynolds, of St Winifreds Park, Halton, Lancashire, was held accountable for his actions, which represented a stark and troubling deviation from his otherwise good character.
The incident occurred on July 27 of the previous year, when Reynolds was staying at the Halston Hotel in Warwick Road, ostensibly for reasons related to his former employment. During his stay, Reynolds activated a Grindr profile through which he initiated contact with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. Reynolds’ response to the undercover officer’s identification as a teenage minor was dismissive, simply stating: "That's young." Early in their conversation, Reynolds even sent an explicit photograph of himself, further escalating the troubling interaction.
The chat quickly turned sexualised, with Reynolds openly expressing his interest in meeting a young boy for sexual purposes. According to prosecutor Brendan Burke at Carlisle Crown Court, Reynolds mentioned he was seeking fun with a guy and repeatedly asked the person he believed to be a juvenile to send photographs. The officer involved clarified that he had not engaged in any illegal activity himself; Reynolds was unwittingly communicating with an undercover police officer.
Encouraged by Reynolds, the conversation progressed to arranging a physical meeting in Carlisle city centre. Reynolds asked the apparent minor what he wanted to do, to which the reply was: "Whatever you want; we’ll see what happens." He then suggested they could go to the hotel where he was staying, describing it as a nice place. The two agreed to meet outside the Hallmark Hotel near Carlisle railway station, where Reynolds was promptly arrested at 8:40 pm.
When questioned by police, Reynolds claimed he believed the individual he was communicating with was at least 18, citing Grindr’s minimum age requirement as the basis for his assumption. He admitted to understanding that his messages and intentions were inappropriate but insisted he did not have any actual child involved. Reynolds’s defence lawyer, Jacob Dyer, acknowledged that Reynolds recognized he should not have engaged in such conversations, especially during a tumultuous period following the breakdown of his marriage.
Dyer explained that Reynolds was experiencing significant personal upheaval, including struggles with sleep, alcohol use, and sleeping tablets, and had recently begun using dating apps amidst his emotional distress. Reynolds, described as a man of previously good character who had worked extensively at Booths supermarket and held a degree in business management, expressed deep remorse for his actions. His arrest led to six days in custody, after which Reynolds suffered a breakdown that required four weeks of hospitalization. Since then, he had ceased drinking and was on antidepressants.
In court, Judge Guy Mathieson emphasized the serious nature of Reynolds's conduct, stating, "What a spectacular fall from grace to have you stood before this court today." The judge acknowledged Reynolds’s emotional struggles but made it clear that he was aware Reynolds understood the gravity of his actions. The judge rejected Reynolds’s claim of misunderstanding the age of the person he was communicating with, asserting that his repeated attempts to engage sexually with what he knew or should have known to be an underage individual were blatant.
The judge described Reynolds’s attempt to meet the minor outside Carlisle railway station as "horrendous" and remarked on the perilous proximity to criminal charges. Recognizing Reynolds’s remorse and the lessons learned from his brief incarceration, Judge Mathieson sentenced him to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years. Reynolds is mandated to complete an accredited treatment program and will be on the Sex Offender Register for ten years. Additionally, he will be subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order and must participate in 20 rehabilitation activity days.
Reynolds, of St Winifreds Park, Halton, Lancashire, was held accountable for his actions, which represented a stark and troubling deviation from his otherwise good character.