Anthony Albert Witts

A 63-year-old man from Southampton, Anthony Albert Witts, has been spared immediate imprisonment after admitting to attempting to engage in sexual communication with children online. Witts, who resides on Mansel Road East and uses a walker due to his cerebral palsy, was exposed by online paedophile hunters who set up decoys posing as 13-year-old girls.

The first incident occurred in 2021, when Witts believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl. He sent naked and semi-naked pictures of himself to the decoy. Adult decoys from the vigilante group identified and confronted him, leading to his arrest by police. During a no-comment interview, Witts reportedly said, 'I did not even realise.' He was released under investigation but committed a similar offence in 2022, contacting another supposed 13-year-old girl, telling her not to be shy and to keep their communication secret.

At Southampton Crown Court, Keely Harvey, prosecuting, detailed how Witts had no previous convictions but engaged in this deviant behaviour twice. Chris Gaiger, mitigating, described Witts' actions as stupid, noting that he could offer no explanation for repeating the offence after the first investigation. Judge Christopher Parker KC remarked, 'You plainly had a deviant sexual interest in children. You attempted to communicate with a 13-year-old girl, not knowing she was a decoy set up by vigilante paedophile hunters. When you were being investigated for that you did the same thing again with another supposedly 13-year-old.'

The judge imposed a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, explicitly stating, 'If it were not for the fact you have cerebral palsy, there is no question you would have immediately been sent downstairs to custody.' Witts was also subjected to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order. Judge Parker warned, 'Be in no doubt, if I see you again there's no way out,' emphasising that any further offence would result in immediate imprisonment. The case highlights the role of online vigilante groups in identifying potential child groomers, though it was police who formally arrested and charged Witts.