Vincent Sword

A 53-year-old man from Lowestoft, Suffolk, was exposed by vigilante paedophile hunters after attempting to groom and meet what he believed to be a 12-year-old girl online. Vincent Sword, residing on Pinewood Avenue, exchanged messages with a decoy profile created by the group between April 6 and June 29, 2024. The conversations began innocently with compliments on the 'girl's' appearance, describing her as 'pretty' with 'beautiful eyes', but soon escalated to sexual topics.

Prosecutor Duncan O'Donnell told Ipswich Crown Court that Sword expressed a desire to see the girl in miniskirts and hotpants, and arranged a secret meeting at Bury St Edmunds railway station. He suggested booking a hotel or inviting her to his home for the night. No photographs were exchanged during the messaging. On the arranged date in June 2024, Sword arrived at the station where he was confronted by the vigilante group, who livestreamed the encounter and called the police.

Further investigation revealed Sword had also been messaging a decoy from a second vigilante group posing as another underage girl. He admitted to two counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and one count of attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming. During sentencing, Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley remarked, 'I suspect even you did not know what your intentions were at the time,' noting that while Sword had asked the 'girl' to stay overnight, no specific sexual acts were suggested.

The court imposed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with a nine-month mental health treatment requirement, up to 25 days of rehabilitation activities, and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. The case was heard at Ipswich Crown Court, highlighting the role of vigilante groups in exposing potential child sex offenders in the UK.