TOBY MAPSON JAILED IN HAMPTON WICK FOR ONLINE GROOMING AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

In December 2007, Toby Mapson, a resident of Hampton Wick, was sentenced to nine months in prison after being caught in a covert police operation targeting online predators. The incident unfolded when Mapson, aged 32, engaged in a series of online conversations with what he believed was an underage girl. Unbeknownst to him, the individual he was communicating with was an undercover police officer.

Mapson, who resides on Upper Teddington Road in Hampton Wick, had previously stored indecent images on his computer, some of which bore titles indicating abuse of children as young as seven. These images formed part of the evidence against him and highlighted his disturbing interest in child exploitation.

The police sting was initiated after Mapson exchanged numerous messages with the undercover officer, during which he made arrangements to meet the girl he believed was underage. On August 16, police officers arrested him as he arrived at the designated meeting point, expecting to meet the girl he had been chatting with online. Prosecutor Peter Zinner told the Old Bailey court, "Following the exchange of numerous messages between them, arrangements were made to meet. Of course, when Mr. Mapson turned up, it was police officers and not the girl."

During the court proceedings, Mapson admitted to multiple charges, including attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming on August 16, attempting to cause a child to watch a sex act on July 3, and making ten indecent images on August 7. Additionally, he was found in possession of 23 indecent images, which he had stored on his device, and he acknowledged these charges.

As part of his sentence, Mapson is now prohibited from owning cameras or computers unless for work purposes or with explicit permission to access the internet. He will also be registered as a sex offender for the next ten years. Furthermore, he is subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order, which bans him from contacting children unless explicitly authorized by the police. The case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat online child exploitation and protect vulnerable minors from predatory behavior.