A barman was caught sending indecent images to a decoy posing as a teen, leading to his arrest and sentencing in Preston.
Blackpool: So, there’s this barman named Richard Overton who got himself into a real mess. He thought he was chatting with a 15-year-old boy on Grindr, but it turned out to be a decoy set up by paedophile hunters.
It all started on February 27, 2024, when he began messaging someone using the name ‘TeenChavvyLad’. Overton was told this person was a teen who hadn’t come out yet. But, surprise! It was all a setup to catch guys like him.
Over the next week, he sent some pretty inappropriate messages, calling the boy ‘sexy’ and even asking about his school uniform. He sent explicit photos and wanted the boy to do the same, but the decoy played it cool and said he was too shy.
Things escalated, and on May 5, 2024, the decoy tracked him down to his home in Blackpool. When they confronted him, it was all caught on video and shared online. Talk about getting caught red-handed!
His lawyer said he was super embarrassed and ashamed, and he lost both his bar jobs because of this. His family isn’t talking to him either. Overton pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child and faced the music in court.
The judge, Heather Lloyd, didn’t hold back. She pointed out how quickly he turned the chat sexual and how he seemed clueless about the harm he could cause. In the end, he got an eight-month suspended sentence and a bunch of conditions to follow, including rehab and a sexual harm prevention order.
