In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Andrew Hollingworth, then 44, of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court. The farm worker was jailed after a targeted operation by a “paedophile hunting” group exposed his attempts to groom and meet a child for sexual activity.
The court heard that Andrew Hollingworth used the internet to contact multiple profiles he believed belonged to young girls. In one specific instance, he groomed a profile he believed belonged to a 14-year-old girl, adopting a false persona by claiming to be a pilot. During the exchange, Hollingworth sent highly sexualized messages and ultimately arranged a physical meeting with the “child” with the clear intent of engaging in sexual activity.
The 14-year-old girl did not exist; the profile was a decoy operated by the group “Ryan Hunts and Kyle Hunts,” who pose as minors to identify predators. When Hollingworth arrived at the designated meeting location, he was confronted by the hunters. In a desperate attempt to evade capture, he reportedly tried to run them over with his vehicle before being successfully apprehended and detained until West Yorkshire Police arrived.
Under police questioning, Andrew Hollingworth admitted to contacting several profiles he believed were children. He later pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court to attempting to meet a female child following sexual grooming. Judge Geoffrey Marson QC sentenced Andrew Hollingworth to nine months in prison and ordered him to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years.
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