In 2025, the Offender Database recorded that David Taylor, then 46, of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, was jailed for 21 months after targeting multiple decoy girls online. On Monday, 6 October 2025, Taylor appeared at Grimsby Crown Court for sentencing. The court reported that the defendant first sent intimate photographs to a decoy 14-year-old in 2022 before continuing to groom undercover police officers posing as girls aged 11 and 12 while he was out on bail.
The investigation established that Taylor was initially snared by a vigilante group, Fight Against Evil, who doorstepped him at his home in Scunthorpe. Humberside Police reported that despite this arrest, Taylor resumed his predatory behaviour in April 2025. The prosecution reported that he requested photographs of the undercover officers in pyjamas or underwear and sent sexualised images of himself, including a photo of his groin area, for his own gratification.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Taylor committed his second and third offences while specifically on bail for his first grooming attempt. Grimsby Crown Court heard that the defendant’s communications with the children involved persistent requests for photos of the children in the bath and in underwear. The prosecution reported that Taylor showed a blatant disregard for the law by continuing to seek out victims even after being warned that the decoys were as young as 11 years old.
Judge Gurdial Singh noted that Taylor had sought out children “not once, not twice, but three times.” For his actions in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, the defendant admitted three offences of attempting to engage with a child under 16. The judge noted with concern that a pre-sentence report indicated Taylor did not accept his offending was sexually motivated, leading to the determination that an immediate custodial term was necessary.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in England, David Taylor was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 21 months in prison.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated for 10 years.
- SHPO: A 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
- Employment Bar: Barred from working with children for life.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Taylor is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Humberside Police and the National Probation Service. Due to his “persistent and escalating” behaviour in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, his management is subject to oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Taylor must comply with notification requirements regarding his identity and his residence at Scunthorpe for a period of 10 years. Authorities state that his SHPO is designed to strictly monitor his internet access and prevent him from contacting minors online ever again. Any breach of his registration conditions or the terms of his sexual harm prevention order in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, will result in immediate arrest and a return to Grimsby Crown Court.
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