April 2022

Nottinghamshire widower caught by paedophile hunter using spoof Facebook profile

A pervert expressed his sexual desires to a decoy Facebook profile of a 13-year-old girl.

Widower David Singfield, of Lime Avenue, Huthwaite got into the habit of going on the social media website and sending out messages to women.

While he was often rejected, one of his messages was a friend request to the random profile of the 13-year-old, a complete stranger. In fact it had been set up by a woman from a group which hunts down paedophiles.

Nottingham Crown Court heard the “girl” confirmed she was “only 13”, before there was contact and messages between them. Singfield boldly asked if she, “smoked and drank”. He told her she was, “a lovely babe”, and made sexual suggestions.

When their messaging moved to WhatsApp, he sent her photos of himself. The vigilante traced him.

She saw him in the street and called police, presenting them with the evidence she gleaned. After his arrest, he could not recall the conversations with the teen, explaining he would have been “drunk and stoned at the time”, said Kevin Jones, prosecuting. Singfield denied any sexual interest in children.

Until his arrest, Singfield worked for three years for a company making carpet sample books. He told his employers of his crimes and they suspended him immediately.

Singfield also told everyone he worked with – which led to people talking about it on Facebook. “He was assaulted a couple of times by people who are rightly disgusted by what he has done,” 

Singfield, who had a previous conviction from 32 years ago, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was given a sexual harm prevention order and will sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

An alcohol treatment requirement was made for six months and he must do 40 rehabilitation days. A two-year prison sentence was suspended for two years.