Essex police officer spared jail after grooming '15-year-old boy' on Grindr

DC Jonathan Davies-Brewin was snared by a paedophile hunter who was posing as the teenager on the app. 

When he was eventually arrested, he told officers his capture was "long overdue" and they had "done him a favour". 

The policeman was handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years today at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Davies-Brewin, of East Hill, Colchester, admitted to arranging a meeting with the 'teenager' following grooming in June last year. 

However, when the 50-year-old arrived for the meeting at a Tesco, in Marks Farm, Braintree, he was met by a vigilante adult and police colleagues.

Richard Conley, mitigating, said Davies-Brewin's comments were a "reflection he was engaging in risky behaviour" which the court heard bordered on obsession with casual encounters.

Judge David Turner QC said he had come “within a whisker of going to prison” but did not believe the dad-of-two was someone who would reoffend in this way or another.

However, the intentionality of what he did deserved punishment.

He said: "This was calculated conduct by a serving police officer who was aware of the legal and practical constraints, and you saw it through in a chillingly short time.”

The $64,000 question for the judge was whether Davies-Brewin would have engaged in sexual behaviour had he met a teenage boy, he remarked.

Judge Turner added: “It was a chilling exchange and even if during that exchange you had any doubts as to whether this was an adult play acting or a boy engaging with what appeared to be going on, about one-and-a-half hours later you drove to the Tesco car park where you were confronted by police colleagues.

“And you made a significant and rather perplexing remark at the time of the police arriving.

“It’s difficult to know what you meant when you said it. Perhaps you spoke more truly at that point than you recognised.

“For too long you have dabbled in risk-taking behaviour.”

The shamed officer, whose career spanned 25 years in the force, had earlier tried to make out he was part of a sting.

The court was told how he sent clothed photos of his chest and face with sunglasses over Grindr and pictures in boxers showing his groin area.

Prosecutor Raj Joshi went on to describe how Davies-Brewin, using the display name 'Older4youngerx', also asked for photos of 'Young'.

He would also quiz the child on "whether he had had fun with many guys" and "if he wanted to meet an older man" before suggesting the two should meet.

The conversation then progressed to WhatsApp.

Mr Joshi said: "'Young' tells the defendant he deletes his photos as he doesn't want his mum seeing anything. Then the conversation continued and the meeting was arranged."

He added: "In his car, the decanted contents of a blue bag revealed various sexual toys and devices.

"The car was examined and officers found Amyl nitrite [a liquid drug also known as poppers].

"On his mobile phone there were a large number of contacts and pictures of young men.

“The crown took the view that while there were a large number of young men, it was difficult to ascertain what pictures were of under-age individuals so there were no further allegations or charges as a result.

"But it's fairly clear there was considerable contact with this defendant and others and he admitted having a predilection for young men."

Davies-Brewin must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

He must take part in 200 hours of unpaid work as well as other community requirements such as rehabilitation activities, and pay £1,200 in court costs within the next two months.

During mitigation, Mr Conley had pushed for a community order with appropriate conditions because he never actually met a real boy.

He also read part of a probation report which says they had been unable to confidently assess whether Davies-Brewin in fact has a sexual preference for young boys, but rather a "desire to push sexual boundaries".

Mr Conley also stated the detective constable did not retire because of the criminal proceedings but was due to retire anyway.

A member of the Independent Office for Police Conduct explained Davies-Brewin took advantage of a change in legislation last December which gives officers under investigation the right to retire.

An Essex Police spokesman confirmed, at the time of the offences, Davies-Brewin was a serving officer and was suspended from the force after he was arrested. 

He subsequently resigned on January 18, 2018, but misconduct proceedings will still take place.

Trusted officer's 'betrayal' 

An NSPCC spokesman for the East of England added: "Davies-Brewin was a trusted police officer who betrayed that trust when he set out to abuse a boy.

"He must receive treatment as part of his sentence to lessen the risk he poses to children in the future.

 “It is far too easy for predators to groom children online and a lot more must be done to stop online groomers before they abuse their victims.

“A new law that came into force last April saw 27 crimes of sending a sexual communication to a child recorded in Essex in just six months – but child protection online cannot just be up to the police.

“The NSPCC is calling on Government to force social media companies to use existing algorithms to warn children about concerning behaviour and flag up grooming behaviour to moderators.”

Any child concerned about grooming or inappropriate behaviour online can call Childline for advice on 0800 1111 or use the 1-2-1 chat service via www.childline.org.uk.