In 2024, Vinnie Pinkham, a “despicable” London paedophile who groomed a child on Minecraft, was repeatedly freed under investigation before being brought to justice. Following a three-year multi-force investigation headed by the Metropolitan Police, Vinnie Pinkham was sentenced to seven years in prison and a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, March 28.
Vinnie Pinkham, a 19-year-old who used to live at Catalina House in Eltham, first came to the attention of the Met in 2021 when the police seized his computer and enforced a curfew as part of an investigation into pornographic images, which was later dropped. During a previous court hearing, it was disclosed that shortly after retrieving his computer, the gamer used his PlayStation to converse with an eight-year-old while playing Minecraft.
Currently living on Restons Crescent in Greenwich, Vinnie Pinkham asked the child for obscene photos on Instagram in exchange for £30 worth of V-Bucks, a currency used in the Fortnite video game. ‘What does show butt mean?’ and ‘How can I obtain a picture of my own butt?’ were among the questions the child asked in conversation logs that the parents presented to the police after finding concerning photos on their child’s phone.
On November 11, 2021, at 6:30 AM, Vinnie Pinkham was arrested at his Eltham home, and his Xbox and cell phone were seized by the police. When Vinnie Pinkham was questioned, he made up answers, called the child a “pervert,” and accused him of “inappropriate discourse.” The victim later told the police that they had been asked to take pictures of their “private area.” Pinkham claimed he could not remember the child’s username.
After being released under investigation for the second time, Vinnie Pinkham committed another crime on December 14, 2022, when he used Snapchat to pose as a seven-year-old boy in order to groom a six-year-old child. He sent pornographic pictures of himself and threatened the child’s parents, requesting explicit pictures in return.
When the family member realised what was going on, they messaged Vinnie Pinkham’s account and asked why he had contacted them. Instead of coming clean, Vinnie Pinkham continued his deception by telling the victim’s parents that the messages came from a fictional eight-year-old sibling who was acting strangely after their father passed away.
Police confiscated Vinnie Pinkham’s gadgets and a top-up card connected to the number that had been messaging the youngster when he was taken into custody on April 13, 2023. They found hundreds of pornographic photos and searches for images of bestiality when they searched his phone.
According to MyLondon, Vinnie Pinkham’s initial sentence hearing was postponed on Friday, January 12, to confirm some of his mitigation and his actual age. Prosecutor Allister Walker presented heartfelt victim impact statements at the court, including one from a parent who talked about their remorse and the psychological and emotional toll it had on their family.The emotional and mental impact this had on [my child], as well as the entire household and family, is really difficult to quantify. They said, “This terrible incident will leave [my child] with emotional scars that will never go away. “I never imagined that one of my kids would experience something like this. I will always feel guilty for failing to shield my [kid] from this vile predator.”
“I always thought I would be able to protect my child,” stated a family member of another victim. I’m constantly telling [them] it’s not [their] fault, but [they] continually blame [themselves]. Now that I haven’t, I will always blame myself. Vinnie Pinkham was old enough to find someone his own age. How come he didn’t find someone his own age? For his own terrible delight, he has destroyed many lives.
In collaboration with North Wales Police and Greater Manchester Police, the Met Police disclosed on Friday, April 5, that it took three years to fully expose the scope of Vinnie Pinkham’s crimes. Hours of interviews with Vinnie Pinkham and his defenceless victims, police viewing and rating of graphic footage, and assistance for the victims and their families were all necessary for the inquiry.
Ultimately, Vinnie Pinkham was found guilty of:
- Sexual communication with a youngster on two counts
- Two counts of encouraging or causing a minor under the age of thirteen to have sex
- Three charges of having extremely obscene pictures
- Having a picture that is forbidden
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