A convicted sex offender, Samir Rignall, has been sentenced to prison after being caught in a sting operation orchestrated by the self-proclaimed paedophile hunter group H Division. The 46-year-old, who had a history of child sex offences, engaged in explicit online conversations with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, leading to his arrest upon arrival at Hereford railway station.
The incident unfolded when David Poole, leader of H Division, posed online as a 14-year-old girl on an over-18s website. Rignall, using the alias 'Phil', contacted the fake profile despite being subject to a sexual offences prevention order that prohibited internet contact with young people. The court heard that conversations quickly turned explicit after the 'girl' revealed her age, with Rignall suggesting a meeting for sex. He even proposed involving a second fake teenage girl for a 'threesome', as detailed by prosecutor Paul Whitfield at Worcester Crown Court.
On 4 March 2017, Rignall travelled from Cardiff to Hereford railway station, arriving with a bag containing a tent, duvet, and various sex toys, clearly intending to engage in sexual activity with the child. Instead, he was confronted by H Division members, filmed outside the station, and arrested by police. Whitfield stated, 'His intention was plain. He intended to have sex with a child.'
Rignall's prior conviction was highlighted during the hearing: in February 2011, he received a six-year sentence at Cardiff Crown Court for abducting and having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Despite this, he breached his order by accessing the internet without notifying authorities. He pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to entice her to penetrative sexual activity, breaching the sexual offences order, and failing to notify authorities of internet use.
Defence barrister Lee Marklew argued there was no actual victim, as the profile used a photo of a woman in her 20s, and thus no harm to a real child or family. He noted Rignall's background in the Army and Air Force, with offending beginning only after age 40, and his estrangement from family for 25 years. However, Judge Robert Juckes, QC, rejected mitigation, telling Rignall, 'You are in the grip of a sexual urge you cannot control. You represent a risk of real harm to children.' The judge described the case as unusual due to the absence of an actual child, charging only attempts, which influenced the sentence.
Rignall, of no fixed address, was sentenced on 27 April 2017 to a total of three years and four months' imprisonment, plus an extended licence period of three years. The case was reported by Hereford Times court reporter, emphasising the dangers of online grooming by known offenders.