Southampton Man Busted in Shocking Underage Grooming Sting
A 47-year-old Southampton man is in police custody tonight after being arrested over grooming underage girls and arranging to meet them for sex. The former Tesco worker, now employed at Sainsbury’s in Bitterne, was caught in a live sting operation by Pompey Predator Watch, a Portsmouth-based vigilante group.
Grooming Web Uncovered in Undercover Sting
The supermarket worker spent months grooming underage girls, exchanging explicit pictures and lewd texts. He arranged to meet one girl during his lunch break, even offering to buy her sexy underwear. The predator, known locally as Mike, was completely unaware he was being watched when vigilantes turned up outside his home in Chisholm Close, Lordshill.
Shameful Messages and Disturbing Offers
- Doling sent racy images of himself in his underwear and made filthy comments, including wanting to lick chocolate off the 14-year-old girl named “Amy.”
- He chatted to at least five other girls as young as 13, claiming it was all “banter” and “a joke.”
- Despite his wife and son witnessing the sting outside the house, Doling showed no remorse, though later hung his head when asked about his ill wife.
Police Step In After Manchester Groups Tip-Off
The sting was triggered after a tip-off from a Manchester group called Justice for Kids. Police confirmed they’re investigating after receiving all evidence from Pompey Predator Watch. Doling was questioned at Southampton Central Police Station where he admitted to chatting with underage girls but insisted he never planned to follow through on any of his sick proposals.
“I was just mucking about,” he told officers. “I wasn’t speaking to a young child seriously.”
With all messages and images now in police hands, the investigation remains ongoing. The public awaits answers on how such predatory behaviour went undetected for so long.
