NEIL PRIOR CAUGHT IN MAIDSTONE CHILD PREDATION STING BY THE HUNTED ONE
In January 2017, a disturbing case of online child exploitation unfolded in Maidstone, leading to the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Neil Prior, a 35-year-old local resident.The incident was orchestrated by the vigilant online group known as The Hunted One, which specializes in exposing individuals attempting to engage in illegal activities involving minors.
Prior’s arrest was the culmination of a covert sting operation carried out by the group.
Using social media and dating apps, Prior engaged in conversations with what he believed was a 14-year-old boy.
The chat logs, later published on The Hunted One’s website, reveal that Prior was fully aware of the minor’s age and was actively using sexual language, indicating his intent to meet the boy for sexual purposes.
The confrontation took place outside a McDonald's drive-thru on Barker Road in Maidstone.
Video footage captured the moment Prior arrived at the designated meeting spot.
During the footage, Prior initially claimed ignorance about the identity of the fictional schoolboy ‘Sam,’ denying any prior knowledge of the planned meeting.
However, after intense questioning, he confessed that he had been grooming the boy for two months and had arranged to meet him on ten previous occasions.
Prior stated, “I had no intention of ever sleeping with him, I said we would go as far as he wanted to but it would never have gone that far.” When pressed about the possibility of engaging in oral sex, he responded with a hesitant “Maybe.” He further claimed that his intentions were purely to be a friend to the boy and insisted he had “never slept with any kids.” During the interrogation, the group’s cameraman explained to Prior that his actions could be classified as rape.
The footage also showed a text message in which Prior wrote he could “teach the boy things he could only dream of,” revealing his inappropriate intentions.
Following his arrest, Neil Prior was formally charged with arranging a meeting with the intent to commit a sexual offence.
His case was brought before Maidstone Crown Court, where he was sentenced to a prison term and received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Additionally, Prior will be on the sex offenders register for ten years, marking a significant legal consequence for his actions and a warning to others about the dangers of online grooming.
