Aaron Whitwell

Aaron Whitwell, a 28-year-old man with a history of child sex offences, received his third prison sentence at Durham Crown Court in March 2025 for engaging in sexual activity with an underage girl. Whitwell, who was already serving a seven-year extended sentence for previous similar crimes, committed these latest offences while on licence from a 33-month sentence and subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that prohibited contact with anyone under 16.

The court heard that Whitwell responded to a Snapchat post featuring the underage girl and her friend. He inquired about her age, falsely claimed to be 17 under the alias 'Aaron Hardy', and after ten days of messaging, steered the conversation to sexual topics. Intimate images were exchanged, and Whitwell suggested they meet. During their first meeting, accompanied by friends, he kissed the girl. Subsequent meetings involved sexual activity, including one instance in bushes, with the pair meeting another five or six times for such encounters. In messages, Whitwell professed love for the girl.

Suspicions arose when the sister of the girl's friend overheard discussions about 'Aaron', leading to the discovery of Whitwell's true identity and criminal background. He admitted six counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and breaching the SHPO. Appearing via video link from HMP Moorland in South Yorkshire, Whitwell faced Judge Richard Bennett, who described him as a man with 'deviant sexual preferences, including an interest in young girls' and deemed him a dangerous offender.

Judge Bennett imposed a two-year sentence for the SHPO breach, followed by a consecutive seven-year custodial sentence for the new offences, with a five-year extended licence period upon release. Whitwell must serve at least two-thirds of the seven-year term before eligibility for release, meaning his earliest possible freedom is in the mid-to-late 2030s. An indefinite restraining order was issued regarding the victim, alongside a new indefinite SHPO. The case was investigated by Durham Constabulary.