Note: Also known to frequent the Leatherhead area

August 2023

‘Dangerous predator’ groomed teenage girl over Facebook messenger

A paedophile who attempted to groom a schoolgirl from Surrey has been locked up.

Stephen Powell, 42, of no fixed address, but formerly of Camberley was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after his “abhorrent behaviour” was uncovered.

After his actions were reported in April 2020, Powell was arrested and his electronic devices seized.

It showed that he had been sending sexualised messages via Facebook Messenger to a schoolgirl.

The messages showed Powell encouraging the girl to send sexualised images of herself.

At Guildford Crown Court on Monday, August 14, he pleaded to seven counts of child sex offences including two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, two counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child.

Powell was sentenced to three years in prison and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) with prohibitions.

He was also sentenced to a further two months in prison for two counts of burglary and two counts of fraud.

The fraud relates to various scams made by Powell on Facebook where he set up fake names and profiles in order to sell items of which he took money for but never produced.