Michael Hewitt, 19, was unsuccessful in initiating a relationship with the girl, prompting him to create a fraudulent social media account in March 2020, through which he contacted the victim and promptly solicited sexual activity.
The victim, aged 15 at the time, remained unresponsive. Nonetheless, Michael Hewitt persevered, and the victim starting responding. Eventually, he deceived her into initiating an online relationship with a fabricated soldier purportedly stationed in Afghanistan.
Following weeks of chatting and persistent requests, the victim transmitted intimate photographs and videos to him.
Michael Hewitt then began mentioning himself in messages sent by his alias to the victim.
On 12 May, Hewitt sent an email to the victim from another fake account, claiming to be the father of his alias. The message claimed the “soldier” had died in Afghanistan and that his dying wish was for the victim to start a relationship with Michael Hewitt.
The victim’s mother became concerned about the relationship after not seeing any British military deaths reported in the news and contacted police.
Officers visited Michael Hewitt to speak to him about his friendship with the soldier. He denied knowledge of the man and the investigation continued.
He was later arrested by East Cambridgeshire officers, his electronic devices seized and the IP address at his home linked to messages supposedly sent by the fake soldier and the soldier’s father.
Michael Hewitt, of Swaffham Prior, Cambridge, denied two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, but was found guilty by a jury at Cambridge Crown Court.
On Friday (2 December) at Peterborough Crown Court he was jailed for 18 months. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.
PC Guy Spencer said: “Michael Hewitt went to great lengths to complete this deception and take advantage of the victim.
“She fully believed Michael Hewitt’s alias was real and the online relationship was genuine. To deceive someone and then abuse that trust is awful.
“I hope that Michael Hewitt spends his 18 months in custody considering the impact his actions have had on the victim and her family.
“Finally, I would like to thank the victim for her courage in giving evidence and her patience for what has been a long investigation.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, 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 at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.