PETER HICKS FROM STADHAMPTON JAILED FOR GROOMING MINOR IN SHOCKING FACEBOOK PLOT

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community of Stadhampton and the wider Oxfordshire area, Peter Sean Hicks, aged 48, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being caught attempting to groom a minor through social media. Hicks, a resident of Stadhampton, was found guilty of engaging in inappropriate and illegal communication with a girl under the age of 16, following a sting operation carried out by a vigilant group of online vigilantes known as the Shadow Hunters.

According to court proceedings, the Shadow Hunters, a group based in Kent, created a fictitious Facebook profile for a 14-year-old girl named Chloe. Their aim was to expose individuals seeking to exploit minors online. It was through this fake profile that Hicks first made contact, claiming he was 20 years old. The group monitored the conversation as Hicks quickly initiated a sexually charged dialogue, offering money in exchange for explicit videos and attempting to persuade the girl to perform sexual acts.

The court was informed that Hicks, who appeared via video link during the hearing, had arranged to meet the girl at Oxford railway station on the 5th of March. However, before the meeting, Hicks sent a message to the Shadow Hunters group, instructing them to meet him at a petrol station in Stadhampton instead. The group members, who had been waiting at the designated location, received the message and immediately confronted Hicks when he arrived. The incident was live-streamed on Facebook, capturing the moment of the confrontation, before the group contacted law enforcement authorities.

Further details revealed that Hicks had a long history of sexual offences, with 18 previous convictions dating back to 1988. His past crimes included indecent assault on a female under 14 years old and another female under 16. These prior convictions underscored the seriousness of his current actions and the potential risk he posed to minors.

Judge Peter Ross, presiding over the case at Oxford Crown Court, expressed strong criticism of the actions taken by the Shadow Hunters, stating that their live-streaming could potentially jeopardize the fairness of the trial. Nonetheless, he emphasized the gravity of Hicks’s offences and the harm that could have resulted had the grooming led to actual sexual activity. The judge sentenced Hicks to four years in prison, with an additional four years on licence, highlighting the importance of protecting minors from such predatory behaviour and the need for strict legal consequences for offenders.