In 2023, the Offender Database reported that William Grassby, then 49, formerly of Spring Close View, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, was sentenced to two years in prison at Sheffield Crown Court. William Grassby was described as an “incredibly depraved” individual who had been caught in separate sting operations conducted by both South Yorkshire Police and self-styled “paedophile hunters.” Grassby had engaged in extensive sexual communication with what he believed were teenage boys, but he was actually messaging undercover officers and vigilante decoys.
The court heard that William Grassby first messaged a decoy whom he believed was a 14-year-old boy for a week before attempting to meet him for sex at the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Simultaneously, he was sending multiple sexual messages to an undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old boy on social media. During these exchanges, Grassby explicitly arranged to meet the children in locations out of the view of CCTV cameras to carry out his “abhorrent intentions.”
William Grassby pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a boy under 16 following grooming. Investigating officer Sarah Anderson noted that upon his arrest, a forensic examination of his electronic devices confirmed he had engaged in multiple instances of sexual communication with children. He was handed a two-year custodial sentence, with the judge emphasising the predatory nature of his actions and the significant risk he posed to the community.
As a result of his convictions, William Grassby was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years. He was also made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which places strict legal restrictions on his internet usage and his proximity to minors. Official monitoring is conducted by South Yorkshire Police under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), ensuring that Grassby remains under rigorous scrutiny following his release to prevent any further danger to children in the Sheffield area.
WARNING
William Grassby is on Facebook and cites his loves as Transport and Babysitting (No Joke). The UK Government sex offender register does a super job.
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