In 2024, a ‘despicable’ London Paedophile, Vinnie Pinkham, who groomed a child on Minecraft, was released under investigation twice before facing justice. Vinnie Pinkham received a seven-year prison sentence and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, March 28, following a three-year multi-force investigation led by the Metropolitan Police.
The 19-year-old, Vinnie Pinkham, previously residing at Catalina House in Eltham, initially attracted the Met’s attention in 2021 when the police confiscated his computer and imposed a curfew during an inquiry into obscene photos, which was subsequently dismissed. Shortly after the gamer retrieved his computer, he communicated with an eight-year-old on his PlayStation while engaged in Minecraft, as revealed during a prior court hearing.
Vinnie Pinkham, currently residing on Restons Crescent, Greenwich, solicited the child on Instagram for explicit photographs in return for £30 worth of V-Bucks, a currency utilised in the game Fortnite. Upon discovering alarming photographs on their child’s phone, the parents alerted the police, presenting conversation logs in which the child enquired, ‘What does display butt mean?’ and ‘How can I obtain a picture of my own butt?’.
Vinnie Pinkham was apprehended at his Eltham residence at 6:30 AM on November 11, 2021, during which law enforcement confiscated his Xbox and mobile phone. Vinnie Pinkham was interrogated, but he fabricated responses and accused the youngster of ‘inappropriate discourse’ and labelled him a ‘pervert’. The victim subsequently informed the police that they were requested to photograph their ‘private area’. Pinkham asserted that he could not recall the child’s username.
Vinnie Pinkham was freed under investigation for the second time; however, on December 14, 2022, he reoffended by impersonating a seven-year-old boy to groom a six-year-old youngster over Snapchat. He menaced the child’s parents, demanding indecent images in exchange, and transmitted lewd photographs of himself.
Upon the family member’s realisation of the situation, they messaged Vinnie Pinkham’s account enquiring about the reason for his contact. Rather than confessing, Vinnie Pinkham perpetuated his deceit and informed the victim’s parents that the messages originated from a fictitious eight-year-old brother exhibiting unusual behaviour following their father’s death.
When Vinnie Pinkham was arrested on April 13, 2023, police seized his devices and a top-up card linked to the number that had been messaging the child. When they searched his phone, they discovered hundreds of indecent images and searches for bestiality images.
MyLondon reported Vinnie Pinkham’s first sentencing hearing on Friday, January 12, which was adjourned because his true age and some of his mitigation still needed verification. At the hearing, prosecutor Allister Walker read emotional victim impact statements, including from one parent who described their feeling of guilt and the emotional and mental effects on their household.
“It is truly hard to say how much this had an emotional and mental effect on not just [my child] but the whole house and family. This horrific crime will leave emotional scars on [my child] that will not heal,” they said. “I never thought anything like this would happen to one of my children. The guilt will stay with me forever for not being able to protect my [child] from this despicable predator.”
Another victim’s family member said, “I always thought I would be able to protect my child. Now I have not, I will always blame myself… I’m always telling [them] it’s not [their] fault, but [they] always blame [themselves].
“[Vinnie Pinkham] was old enough to get someone his own age. Why did he not get someone his own age? He’s ruined so many lives for his own bitter pleasure.”
On Friday (April 5), the Met Police revealed how it took three years, working together with Greater Manchester Police and North Wales Police, to reveal the full extent of Vinnie Pinkham’s crimes. The investigation required hours of interviews with Vinnie Pinkham and his vulnerable victims, viewing and grading of horrific material by officers, and support for the victims and their families.
In the end, Vinnie Pinkham was convicted of:
- Two counts of sexual communication with a child
- Two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
- Three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images
- Possession of a prohibited image
Detective Constable Amy Burnell, who led the investigation, said: I would like to highlight the incredible work of the Met’s investigation team; they viewed images of horrific material seized from the suspect and had to grade the severity of the indecency of the images for viewing in court. They did this efficiently and were able to still work professionally and with true commitment to the case.
The team’s diligence and professionalism have ensured this perpetrator has been taken off the streets of London and will no longer be able to hide behind a computer screen and take advantage of vulnerable children enjoying online games and chat rooms with their friends.
Vinnie Pinkham exploited children’s youthful ignorance for his personal gratification. We are committed to finding individuals who wish to cause harm to young people across London. We’ll do everything in our power to protect children, bringing to justice those predators who threaten their safety.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by the people highlighted on this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report to Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.