Vincent Sword – Lowestoft

Vincent Sword, 53 years old of Pinewood Avenue, Lowestoft

A Sarah’s Law application is strongly advised before having any dealings with this convicted paedophile after he recently pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and a third charge of attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming.

As seems to be the norm these days with such cases, the Judge handed down a suspended sentence ??‍

26 –

LOWESTOFT MAN EXPOSED BY VIGILANTE ‘PAEDOPHILE HUNTERS’.

A man who messaged who he thought was a 12-year-old girl asking her to spend the night with him was in fact messaging a vigilante group, a court heard.

Vincent Sword was met by the group of “paedophile hunters” at Bury St Edmunds Railway Station in June 2024, who livestreamed their confrontation, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

The 53-year-old old had been exchanging online messages with a person who claimed to be a 12-year-old girl, but was in fact an adult.

Between April 6 and June 29, Sword had been messaging the ‘girl’, paying her compliments and telling her she was “pretty” and had beautiful eyes.

The tone of the conversation soon turned sexual, said Duncan O’Donnell, prosecuting, with Sword saying he would like to see the girl in miniskirts and hotpants. No photographs were exchanged.

Sword said he would like to meet the girl, but this would have to be “secret”. He arranged to pick the girl up and first suggested booking a hotel and later asked her to come back to his address.

When Sword arrived at the station at the pre-arranged time, he was met by the group and the police were called.

The police were later approached by a second vigilante group which said Sword had also been messaging one of their decoys posing as an underage girl.

Sword admitted two counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and a third charge of attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming.

In sentencing him, Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley noted that while Sword had asked the ‘girl’ to stay with him overnight, nothing specific had been suggested.

“I suspect even you did not know what your intentions were at the time,” she said.

Judge Talbot-Hadley sentenced Sword, of Pinewood Avenue, Lowestoft, to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months.

He will undergo a nine-month mental health treatment requirement, up to 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.