Topham initiated contact on Snapchat using a burner phone on 18 March 2025. He told the decoy that he was 55 years old and worked in the construction sector in West Yorkshire. The conversation quickly escalated, with Topham expressing a preference for girls who could “keep secrets.”
Over several weeks, the chats became increasingly s3xually graphic. Topham arranged to meet the girl at a hotel in Norwich on Monday 7 April, believing they would engage in s3x.
Instead, police arrested him at the hotel and took him to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning. He was later charged with multiple offences, including:
- Inciting a child to engage in s3xual activity
- Arranging to commit a s3xual offence involving a minor
- Engaging in s3xual communication with a child
- Attempting to meet a child under the age of 16 following grooming
Topham pleaded guilty to three of the charges but denied attempting to meet a child under the age of 16 following grooming. The charge he denied was officially placed on file by the court and not pursued further.
He was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on Tuesday 8 July 2025 and received a prison term of three years and four months.
During his police interview, Topham admitted he was fully aware that his intentions toward the girl were wrong and said he felt disgusted with himself. He claimed it was the first time he had ever engaged in such behaviour and could offer no explanation or defence. He added that the only reason he did not follow through with the meeting was because he was arrested before he could.
As part of his sentencing, Topham was placed on the S3x Offenders Register for life and was issued a 10-year S3xual Harm Prevention Order.
The judge stated that Topham’s actions involved deliberate planning and that the severity of the offences required a custodial sentence.
Det Con Karen Coverdale said: “The nature of the messaging was extremely graphic and extremely concerning with Topham fully aware that the child was just 14. Although she was not a real child Topham believed that she was and was fully committed to implementing his plan of having sex with her in Norwich. The only appropriate sentence was for him to go to prison.”
