Two Northampton men separately caught by paedophile hunting groups jailed for attempting to meet 'teenage girls'
Two Northampton men, who thought there were meeting teenage girls but were caught, separately, by paedophile hunting groups instead, have been jailed.
Reuben Worrell, formerly of Hester Street, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on January 14, after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming.
Between May 12, 2024 and June 15, 2025, the 34-year-old engaged in an online conversation with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.
According to Northamptonshire Police, on June 14, 2025, Worrell arranged to meet the girl at Northampton Train Station. However, he was instead greeted by an adult from a group, which had created the online profile.
Sean Mills, formerly of Orchard Hill, also appeared at Northampton Crown Court on January 23, after pleading guilty to two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, one of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one of attempting to cause/incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration.
Between August 8 and October 12, 2025, the 42-year-old chatted online with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl and exchanged inappropriate messages of a sexual nature, shared indecent photos of himself and asked for images in return, according to police.
The teenager did not exist and was a decoy created by an online group to snare people like Mills. He was arrested on June 12.
The making indecent images of a child charges related to a separate investigation in June 2023.
Investigating officer in both cases, Detective Constable Ryan McFarlane, of the Force’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “The private conversations both men had with the decoys were unsettling and therefore I am really pleased that they have been brought to justice.
“Although thankfully there was not a real child in each of these cases, it does not lessen the seriousness at all because Reuben Worrell and Sean Mills fully believed they were talking to 14-year-old girls.”
Worrell was sentenced to 27 months in prison and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Mills was sentenced to 33 months in prison, given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to pay £228 victim surcharge.