HEXTHORPE MAN STEPHEN PITTAM CAUGHT IN DONCASTER PAEDOPHILE PLOT
In April 2019, a disturbing case unfolded involving Stephen Pittam, a resident of Hexthorpe, who faced serious allegations of attempting to groom and meet a girl he believed to be just 14 years old.The incident was part of a sting operation conducted by the paedophile hunting team known as ‘Totnes Justice’, which operates under the alias ‘Scott’.
According to court proceedings at Sheffield Crown Court, Pittam began communicating with a Facebook account in June 2017 that was set up by members of the ‘Totnes Justice’ team.
The account, under the pseudonym ‘Claire Austin’, featured a profile picture of a young girl around the age of 14, and was designed to lure potential offenders.
From the outset, the decoy made it clear that she was 14 years old, but Pittam continued to engage with her.
Prosecutor Anthony Dunne explained that Pittam, who was 52 at the time, asked the decoy if her age bothered him, and expressed a desire to meet her in person.
He told her he wanted to teach her about kissing, indicating his intentions were sexual in nature.
Pittam’s messages revealed a disturbing pattern of grooming behavior, including requests to meet and explicit discussions about sexual activities.
Authorities intervened when Pittam arranged to meet the decoy girl, but police arrested him before the meeting could take place.
During police interviews, Pittam, who was 54 at the time of his arrest, chose to remain silent, answering ‘no comment’ to all questions.
Despite his silence, evidence showed that he had continued messaging other decoy accounts, believing they belonged to other underage girls, even in the days immediately following his release from custody.
Further investigation uncovered that Pittam had been engaging in similar conversations with the same decoy account in the weeks leading up to his arrest.
The messages included highly inappropriate and sexual content, with Pittam suggesting showering together and asking about the girl’s underwear and grooming status.
These exchanges indicated a clear pattern of sexual grooming and intent.
Police arrested Pittam in March of the previous year in connection with the messages sent to the second decoy account.
Once again, he refused to answer questions, maintaining his silence.
Ultimately, Pittam admitted guilt by pleading guilty to charges of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting sexual contact with a minor.
Judge Kelson sentenced Pittam to a 12-month prison term, suspended for two years.
Additionally, he was placed under a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which imposes strict conditions to prevent further offenses.
Pittam was also ordered to complete up to 35 days of rehabilitation activities aimed at addressing his behavior.
The SHPO restricts Pittam from owning internet-enabled devices that could be used to delete browsing history and bans him from contacting children under 16 unless explicitly permitted by their guardians and social services.
Judge Kelson issued a stern warning, stating, “Mr Pittam, you’re not getting away with it.
If you’re tempted to use a computer or phone to seek out children, ask about their private areas, or arrange meetings, you will be caught and face imprisonment.
This is your one and only chance to take responsibility for your actions.”
