Philip Thurston 34

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A man has been jailed after grooming a 13-year-old girl online and taking her on car journeys.

Philip Thurston, 34, of Laburnum Close, Cambridge, first contacted the child on Instagram in June 2023, asking for her Snapchat details.

Despite knowing her age, Thurston arranged to pick her up near her home. On the first occasion, the girl declined to get into his car, but days later he returned and drove her to Cambourne and then to a McDonald’s, in Caxton, where he paid for food.

During their conversations online, which spanned two weeks, Thurston sent sexualised messages - telling the victim that if she were older, he would “get with her” and describing what he wanted to do to her. But in person, the victim noted, he appeared quiet and reserved.

At about 7.50pm on 28 June, the victim told her parents she was going out for a drive with a 17-year-old boy named Fabio.

Her stepdad became suspicious so followed her to a nearby bus stop, where Thurston was waiting in his car. He managed to take a photo of the vehicle and drove behind it through Cambridge, before losing sight.

While driving, Thurston admitted to the victim he was 32, not in his late teens. He became angry when he noticed they were being followed by the victim’s stepdad and asked if she was “setting him up”.

He added: “Your stepdad is lucky he didn’t catch me” before taking her home.

Thurston was arrested and in police interview, he admitted meeting the victim and said he thought she was 14.

He insisted he was “not a bad person” and said he didn’t realise picking up a child was illegal, claiming he just wanted to “help people” as she wanted to be taken out.

Thurston pleaded guilty to taking a child as to remove him/her from a person having lawful control, at a hearing in January this year.

On Monday (17 November), at Cambridge Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years and three months in prison and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Detective Constable Daniel Knight, who investigated, said:

“Thurston is clearly a danger to children, and I’m pleased he is now behind bars. Protecting children from abuse is a force priority and we will do everything we can to protect them from harm.”