Michael Kitchen: 51-year-old caught in police sting said that hook-up with 14-year-old girl was ‘too good to be true’, court hears

A 51-year-old man caught in a police sting said that he thought the proposed hook-up with a fictional 14-year-old girl was “too good to be true”, a court has heard. Read what he was sentenced to.

One of three men who got nabbed in an undercover police sting told officers he thought the offer of hooking up with a 14-year-old girl was “too good to be true”.

Michael Kitchen, 51, pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct in relation to a person he thought was under 16 years with the intent of facilitating the procurement of that child to engage in a sexual act at Southport District Court on Friday, January 31.

Kitchen is just one of three men arrested over grooming charges after engaging with an online profile that was actually manned by Queensland police detectives.

The court heard Kitchen responded to an online advertisement, created by police, that said “an aunt and niece on hols in the Goldy” were hoping for the niece to “get first time experience from the right guy only.”

Police, pretending to be the aunt, communicated with Kitchen via the messaging app, Kik, and arranged to meet at a Broadbeach hotel for him to have sex with the niece.

The court heard on the day Kitchen was supposed to meet the fictional niece, he was told by the account that she was 14 years old on at least two occasions.

Michael Kitchen, 51, left Southport District Court after being sentenced over grooming charges. Picture: Emily Walker.

Police, posing as the aunt, told Kitchen to bring condoms. Kitchen called them to say he was on his way to the hotel.

“I freaked out a little bit because you said she’s 14,” he said on the phone call.

“I didn’t know her age and I just don’t want to get there and it’s a room full of coppers …”

Police approached, arrested and searched Kitchen at the arranged location on November 20, 2023.

His phone was seized and officers found a box of condoms in his pocket which he claimed was for the aunt.

When approached by police, Kitchen said: “I knew it was a sting, it was too good to be true.”

The court heard Kitchen told police he wouldn’t touch a 14-year-old, and had bought the condoms for the aunty.

Normally, Kitchen’s crime would receive a term of imprisonment but his defence barrister James McNab, instructed by Vered Turner Lawyers, told the court there were exceptional circumstances in the case.

The court heard Kitchen had been under the influence of speed and another drug at the time of the offence, and has a history of drug-related offences but since his arrest, has been clean and seeking drug rehabilitation treatment.

Judge Deborah Holliday KC accepted there were exceptional circumstances in the case, and noted Kitchen had a low risk of sexually offending against children.

She said the offending of that nature was serious but accepted Kitchen had shown remorse, had no criminal history of a like nature, was taking steps to rehabilitation and a custodial sentence would be more onerous.

She sentenced him to 12 months wholly suspended for two years with a mandatory reporting regime.

Judge Holliday told Kitchen he must also abstain from drugs.

“You have been given an opportunity today. You won’t get one again,” she said.