PAEDOPHILE CONVICT INVOLVED IN GROOMING AND SOCIAL MEDIA PREDATION
Despite his repeated offenses, this registered paedophile has never appeared in the media before.Recently, he was identified as Peter Hicks, a convicted sex offender from Gosport who moved to Portsmouth and is now residing at Millers Pond in Sholing, Southampton.
Peter Sean Hicks, formerly of Dukes Road in Gosport, was sentenced in August 2000 to one year in prison after being found guilty of two counts of indecent assault.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register for ten years.
Hicks was part of a disturbing paedophile ring operating in Gosport, which shocked even seasoned detectives due to the acts involved.
The ring was one of the largest in Hampshire’s history, involving Hicks, his brother Bryan J.
Hicks, his father Peter Sydney Hicks, and surprisingly, their mother Phyllis Joan Hicks.
The police work to dismantle this ring was highly praised in court.
Concerns have been raised about Hicks’s ongoing activities.
Reports indicate he has been using Facebook to contact young single mothers, requesting naked photos of themselves in exchange for money.
His Facebook profiles are full of photos of young women in underwear.
Despite being banned from Facebook due to his convictions, Hicks has created multiple accounts under different names, pretending to be in Manchester.
These profiles are inconsistent with his claims of honesty and loyalty.
Screenshots show his attempts to groom via social media, with profiles using pseudonyms like Peter Houghton, attempting to contact and groom vulnerable women.
His criminal history also includes incidents in 2008.
He was working at The Coach and Horses pub in Hilsea, Portsmouth, at age 38, when he was involved in flashing incidents.
After moving out from the pub, he got a new job as a chef at the Queen’s Hotel in Southsea.
He was caught flashing three times in one day and failed to inform police of his change of address.
He was arrested on December 20, 2007, and later pleaded guilty in court to four charges of indecent exposure and failing to update his sex offenders register details, showing little emotion during sentencing.
Current concerns include his attempts to groom young mothers via social media and his attempts to appear in public near schools.
He has a Facebook profile where he complains about his homelessness and criticizes others for receiving housing assistance, despite his past convictions.
During a confrontation, Hicks kicked a photographer and shouted abusive language when approached near a primary school where parents with children were present.
These behaviours highlight his ongoing risk to the community.
Hicks was also caught in a sting by a group called the Shadow Hunters, who posed as a teenage girl on social media.
Hicks, aged 48, contacted her claiming he was 20 and engaged in sexual conversations, offering money for sex acts.
He arranged to meet her at Oxford railway station but was confronted by the group at a petrol station in Stadhampton, where he was live-streamed and then arrested by police.
Hicks has a long history, with 18 previous sexual offense convictions dating from 1988, including indecently assaulting females under 14 and under 16.
He was sentenced in court to four years in prison and four years on license for grooming a girl under 16.
The judge admonished the Shadow Hunters for their vigilantism, emphasizing that police should handle such matters.
Hicks's past behaviour and ongoing online activity, combined with his recent street behaviour, underscore the danger he poses.
Community safety warnings advise keeping children and vulnerable women away from him.
The public is encouraged to recognize him and report any suspicious behaviour.
