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Reading Crown Court: Jail for Hungerford predator caught in paedophile hunters' sting




THIS is the moment a married father-of-three is led away by police after being exposed as a child sex predator.

Keith Stroud, dressed in dirty shorts and a stained T-shirt, walks toward a waiting police car in handcuffs after being caught in a sting by online paedophile hunters.

On Friday, November 4, he was taken from the dock at Reading Crown Court to the cells to begin a prison sentence.

Keith Stroud (60475551)
Keith Stroud (60475551)

Ian Hope, prosecuting, said the 45-year-old forklift truck driver, of Shalbourne Close, Hungerford, messaged the profile of a 14-year-old girl.

He added: "It was an obviously underaged child's profile."

Using a false name and age, Stroud began making obscene suggestions, inciting the child to commit sex acts and sending her an image of his penis, the court heard.

After bullying her and warning her to keep it secret from her mother, Stroud gloated: "I own you now," the court heard.

Stroud repeatedly tried to encourage her to use a video camera to show her body and sent her incest-themed pornography, said Mr Hope, telling her: "That could be me and you."

Keith Stroud (60475549)
Keith Stroud (60475549)

Unknown to Stroud, the judge was told, the profile was a decoy set up by a paedophile hunting group known as Elite Team.

When Stroud arranged to meet a decoy for sex – although this time believing it was an adult woman – he was confronted by them, said Mr Hope.

Meanwhile the team had alerted police who arrived to arrest him.

Keith Stroud (60475553)
Keith Stroud (60475553)

Stroud admitted communicating in a sexual manner with a child for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, trying to incite a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity and causing a child, for the purpose of sexual gratification, to watch pornographic videos.

All the offences were committed in Hungerford last summer.

Peter Du Feu, defending, said his client had been living in his car since his offending was made public.

He added: "It's been all over the news in Hungerford; everybody knows about it."

Mr Du Feu said Stroud had been unhappy in his marriage when he started looking online and went on: "It didn't start with paedophilic intent (but) he genuinely believes he has behaved disgracefully.

"As, indeed, he has."

He added: "Twenty-five years ago, his mother walked out for another man and although she lives in the same village, they've never met since.

"He has no friends or hobbies, apart from watching porn; his wife is cold towards him.

"He does acknowledge an unhealthy interest in underage girls – so often such individuals go to their graves saying it's all been a big mistake.

"Mr Stroud should be grateful to (Elite Team) in a way because they brought him up short very quickly."

Mr Du Feu pleaded with the judge to spare his client an immediate custodial sentence for the sake of his family.

And, he added, "for all the ghastliness of this case, he is vulnerable."

Judge Sarah Campbell told Stroud the nature of the porn he had sent to the girl's profile was particularly disturbing.

She reminded him: "You told her: 'I own you now; it's our secret'" and said he had tried to groom the girl.

Stroud was jailed for 32 months, half of which he will spend in custody and the remainder on licence in the community.

In addition she made him subject to a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and required him to be on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

She concluded by telling Stroud, who had been sitting with his head in his hands during some of the evidence: "You can go down."

* Images by Elite Team.



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