Man jailed for attempting to meet a teenage girl for sex – South Yorkshire

A 74-year-old man who went to Sheffield station with a pack of Viagra to meet a 14-year-old girl has been jailed following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.   

Stephen Greaves, of Park Grange Croft, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to a total of five charges, including Attempting to Meet a Child Under 16 Following Grooming.

At Sheffield Crown Court on 31 July, he was jailed for two years and eight months and received a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Greaves turned up to Sheffield railway station on 26 July 2021 thinking he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he had been grooming for weeks.

Instead, a paedophile hunter group intercepted him and quickly reported his intentions to BTP.

He was arrested at the station, and officers found a blister pack of Viagra on his person.

Forensic analysis of Greaves’ phone revealed hundreds of messages between him and who he thought was a teenage girl.  

Detectives also uncovered other conversations with girls he believed were underage, as well as child sex abuse materials he had saved, including two videos in the most severe category.

Before arranging the meet at Sheffield station Greaves sent a photo of his genitals on WhatsApp to who he thought was a teenage girl, plus a series of sexually explicit messages.

Following an extensive investigation led by BTP detectives, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised eight charges against Greaves.

He then pleaded guilty to five charges in total. These were: Attempting to Meet a Child Under 16 Following Grooming, Attempting to Cause or Incite a Child Under 16 to Engage in Sexual Activity, Attempting to Engage in Sexual Communication with a Child, and two counts of Making Indecent Images of Children.

BTP Detective Constable Lee Walker said: “Stephen Greaves poses a serious danger to children and has demonstrated a clear sexual interest in them.

“He spent weeks grooming who he believed was a teenage girl, sending vile and explicit messages before travelling to the station with Viagra for what he thought would be a sexual encounter.

“Our investigation uncovered the full extent of his offending. Through the forensic examination of thousands of gigabytes of data from his phone, we unearthed abhorrent child sexual abuse material.

“Thankfully Greaves is now behind bars and no longer able to prey on children.”