Latest Offenders Kent

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A shamed youth sports worker has escaped an immediate jail sentence for possessing more than 1,200 indecent images of children.

But in sentencing former Thanet School Games organiser Phil Pittock, Judge James O'Mahony told him: "This sickening trade is only made possible by people like you.

"You must have realised that a great number of these images do not appear by magic. They are real children, some as young as nine, and in some cases, a few, of extreme sexual imagery."

Pittock - who admitted five charges of possessing indecent images of children and one charge of making them - was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years.

Crispian Cartwright, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court: "This is a sad but familiar story."

He said Pittock's home, in Brandon Road, Birchington, had come to the attention of police and on January 15 they arrived at his home with a search warrant.

Pittock told police he had been very silly, Mr Cartwright said. His laptop, two memory sticks and an iPhone were examined and found to contain a large number of indecent images of children - most at the least serious level - although some were at the serious end of the scale.

Mr Cartwright said Pittock had been candid with police and said he was a poor sleeper and looked at the images late at night. He said he had stumbled across the websites and it grew from there.

"Pittock said he found the girls attractive, but wanted to stop and on the day he was arrested he had been looking at how he could cancel the account," Mr Cartwright said.

"There were three particular sites he used to visit and he says he looked at images of girls as young as nine but not lower than that."

Mr Cartwright said 50-year-old Pittock, was a man of "excellent character".

"He feels devastated by what has happened and wishes he had never started," Mr Cartwright said.

"He has found adjustment incredibly difficult and a week after his arrest he attempted suicide..." - Nicholas Jones"

Pittock took on his Thanet School Games organiser role in September 2011, based at the Ursuline College, in Westgate.

In October 2012, Pittock had been presented with a gold medal for bringing together Inspire PRIDE Awards in Thanet and the summer 2012 schools engagement programme.

His role involved arranging inter-school competitions in different sports, many as local qualifiers for the bi-annual Kent School Games.

Nicholas Jones, defending, said Pittock had spent most of his adult life in athletics and promoting sport in schools.

"That life is now over," Mr Jones said. "He has found adjustment incredibly difficult and a week after his arrest he attempted suicide. With the support of his friends and family he has managed to turn his life around.

"He made a full and frank confession to the police and has sought help to tackle what he sees as a problem."

Judge O'Mahony also ruled that Pittock would be subject to a sex offences prevention order for seven years.

He told Pittock: "You are a highly intelligent, well qualified and resourceful man. Your conduct since has been as constructive as it could be in the circumstances."

But Judge O'Mahony said the images represented a serious sexual abuse of children and he added: "You have suffered, as you deserve to suffer, significant punishment."

Judge O'Mahony also ordered that Pittock should pay 1,200 costs.

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A sex beast who carried out "appalling and depraved" sexual abuse of two young girls has been jailed for 16 years.

Lee Ashurst, of Parr Avenue, Gillingham, was told by a judge: "You chose to oppose these matters and have been convicted. You can expect and receive no mercy from this court."

The 29-year-old pervert denied six charges of rape of a child but was convicted of each by a 10-2 majority.

Judge Jeremy Carey said the jury of nine women and three men had to listen to the evidence of two little girls who gave in graphic detail an account of Ashurst's depraved sexual behaviour.

"Each of them described how you indulged yourself in the most appalling way," he said. "In their innocence they did not realise, and still do not realise, the enormity of the depravity of which you are now rightly found guilty.

"The impact on them I judge to be significant. When they do understand it is likely to be enormous and long lasting. It is that impact which makes that offending so grave."

The victims' families would feel the impact and shock waves for years to come.

After the guilty verdicts, Ashurst's lawyer spoke of the "horrific and appalling nature" of the offending.

Maidstone Crown Court, where Ashurst was sentenced

Ashurst, said to have a low IQ, will be on the sex offenders' register for life and banned from working with children and vulnerable adults.

After he had been led away to the cells to begin his sentence, Judge Carey told jurors, one of whom wept: "I turn to you with some feelings of anxiety.

"This case must have put you through an ordeal. It is your misfortune you had to sit on this case. Others have been through the ordeal you have had to go through.

"I don't suppose it will come to an end for some time. You have done your duty. After the dreadfulness of the evidence, you can sense that justice has been done."

He added: "Forget about this as best you can."

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A sex abuse victim has been praised for her "extraordinary fortitude" as her attacker was jailed for 12 years.

The teenager won the admiration of a judge for the way she gave evidence against former bus driver Gordon Burgess.

The 43-year-old, of Thorn Hill Road, Warden, Sheerness, denied two offences of rape and three of sexual activity with a child - but was convicted by a jury of 10 women and one man, the 12th juror having been discharged.

The girl told by TV link from a witness room at Maidstone Crown Court how she tried to blank out what was happening to her.

"I tried not to think about it," she said.

Burgess raped her twice without using any protection.

"He never said not to tell anybody about it," she said. "He never threatened me or gave me any rewards for keeping quiet."

She agreed she could have told somebody or gone to the police. She eventually called Childline and reported the abuse.

"I felt trapped because it was partly my fault for not doing anything," she added.

The girl denied a suggestion by defence lawyer Andrew Baughan that she made up the allegations.

Mr Baughan said after the verdicts that Burgess had been a good citizen up to the point he started offending.

"i felt trapped because it was partly my fault for not doing anything" gordon burgess's victim

"It appears to be confined to a relatively short period," he said. "It coincided with his ill-health. He has lost his good character and reputation."

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC, told Burgess: "The seriousness of the offences is self-evident. You know nothing less than a significant period of imprisonment will follow.

"An aggravating feature is that you used no form of protection. The criminality must fall at the top end of the range."

The mitigation was limited, he said. Burgess was a family man in poor health.

"I draw attention to the traumatic effect your offending is bound to have on your unfortunate victim," added the judge.

"It has to be said she withstood the ordeal to which you subjected her to give evidence with extraordinary fortitude."

An indefinite sexual offences prevention order was imposed. Burgess will be banned from working with children and his name will appear on the sex offenders' register for life.

After sentence, DC Emily Hooper, from Kent Police, said: "Burgess denied all the allegations that were made, but the victim's strength in bravely giving evidence in court has helped us secure a substantial prison sentence.

"It will be a long time before Burgess is released from prison and I hope that will allow the victim to move on in life."

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Gavin Smith was jailed in 2001 for his part in an international paedophile ring.

A convicted paedophile who discussed torturing and sexually abusing children over the internet has been given a three month suspended jail sentence.

Gavin Smith, 41, of Boleyn Way in Swanscombe, Kent, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to nine offences of publishing obscene material.

Kent Police said he was charged over the internet chat in 2010, with the case going to court in November 2011.

The case collapsed but police and prosecutors successfully appealed.

Smith was brought back to court in July, leading to his guilty plea.

Det Insp David Shipley, from the public protection unit at Kent Police, said as a result of the case the Obscene Publications Act of 1959 can now be used for online offences where people engage in fantasy chat about the sexual abuse of children.

Smith was jailed for his part in the international "Wonderland" paedophile ring in 2001.

The computer engineer was then called Gavin Seagers, but changed his name.

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A pensioner who repeatedly sexually abused a young girl - telling her it was a "special secret" - has been jailed for six years.

Roy Humphreys, 69, corrupted his victim so badly she thought it was her fault, a court heard.

Humphreys, of Broadway, Gillingham, shook his head in the dock as he was handed six years' jail and an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order at Maidstone Crown Court.

He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for life, banning him from ever working with children.

Humphreys, who previously worked as a steward at Gillingham FC on match days, denied the abuse throughout a trial.

But he was convicted by a 10-2 majority on three charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one of sexual assault. He was acquitted of three other charges.

Judge Philip Statman praised the young victim's bravery in giving harrowing evidence in which she was able to describe Humphreys' private parts.

She said the pensioner would climb on top of her, kiss her and touch her private parts.

"you have not shown one shred of remorse…"

– judge philip statman

The judge told Humphreys the abuse had "a profound effect on her", adding: "Nothing will ever be the same again."

"As you stand before this court today you have not shown one shred of remorse," he added.

"She was a very young girl, not aware of the illegality of your acts towards her.

"Then there was the issue of the 'special secret' you and she had, which she eventually divulged."

Nina Ellin, prosecuting, previously told the trial the victim's behaviour had become sexualised as a result of grooming.

Miss Ellin told the jury: "She said she should have stopped him.

"She said everything was her fault, adding: 'I was supposed to say no.'"

Humphreys followed the hearing closely from the dock, at one point asking the judge to speak louder.

Roy Humprheys has been jailed for six years at Maidstone Crown Court.

Danny Moore, defending, said it would be hard for Humphreys in the three years he is due to remain in prison.

He said: "It is a fact that it's much more difficult for a man of that age in custody."

But he added: "It's not easy to identify mitigation. It was a vulnerable victim and the damage was obvious."

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A woman and four men were found guilty on Wednesday of offences relating to an international paedophile ring which used a nudist website as a guise for its offences.

Melissa Noon, 30, and the four other defendants, including Daniel Bell, 27, a serving soldier, were convicted on a total of 16 charges.

The jury at Portsmouth crown court was still deliberating on one charge against Noon, of arranging a child sex offence.

Noon, Bell, Simon Hilton, 29, Mark Day, 45, and John Maddox, 46, had denied the offences.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, told the trial that Noon and her partner, Robert Hathaway, 36, were at the centre of the international paedophile ring, which abused two British children under the age of 13.

Hathaway set up a naturist website as a guise for distributing indecent photographs and videos of children as well as for meeting like-minded perverts around the world, the jury was told.

Using the internet the couple discussed abuse of children with some of the other defendants and arranged to meet some to carry out further sexual assaults on the young victims, the trial heard.

The abuse included rape, attempted rape and the use of sex aids. The police seized more than 20 sex aids from Noon and Hathaway, the trial heard.

The children had been made to engage in naked wrestling and play the game Twister in the nude.

The jury of six women and six men took more than 12 hours to reach the verdicts in the majority of the charges.

Noon was found guilty of three charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, one of causing a child to watch a sexual act, two of sexual assault of a child, two of arranging a child sex offence, one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two of possessing indecent photographs of children. Noon had previously pleaded guilty to two charges of cruelty to a child.

Hathaway, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, was described at an earlier date as the ringleader. He previously pleaded guilty to 45 offences. These included two charges of rape of a child, four of sexual assault of a child, 15 of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, two of distributing indecent images of children, and one of possessing prohibited images of children.

He has also pleaded guilty to one charge of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, three of arranging a child sex offence, four of making indecent photographs of children, and 13 of possessing indecent photographs of children.

Bell, who had military accommodation but was previously living in Emsworth, Hampshire, was found guilty of two charges of possessing indecent photos of children and one of attempting to distribute an indecent image of children. He was found not guilty of two charges of arranging a child sex offence.

Simon Hilton, 29, of London, was convicted of one charge of arranging a child sex offence. Hilton had previously pleaded guilty to 13 offences, including sexual assault of a child and extreme pornography possession.

Mark Day, 45, of Whitefriars Meadow, Sandwich, Kent, was found guilty of one charge of arranging a child sex offence. The judge had ordered a not guilty verdict to be ordered on a second similar charge against Day.

John Maddox, 46, of Rainham, Essex, was convicted of a charge of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He had previously pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing indecent photographs of children.

As well as the defendants convicted on Wednesday, a further three, are among those who have already pleaded guilty to participation in the paedophile ring.

Stephen Fraser, 41, of Cambridge, admitted 27 charges. These included one offence of sexual assault of a child, two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, one of engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, and one charge of arranging a child sex offence. He had also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing extreme pornography, one of making an indecent image of a child, and 19 of possessing indecent images of children.

Lee Parson, 38, of Portsmouth, pleaded guilty to one charge of arranging a child sex offence, three charges of possessing indecent photos of children and one of taking indecent photos of children.

Jonathan Garner-Harris, 37, a teacher, of Marrick, North Yorkshire, appeared at Durham crown court over 20 offences. These related to three charges of inciting a child sex offence and 17 counts relating to indecent photos of children. He is to be sentenced alongside the other convicted defendants at Portsmouth at a later date.

Hampshire police began investigating the ring after being tipped off by Australian authorities who uncovered a "mirror image" ring which also abused a young child. Hathaway was in contact with this ring in Australia and shared images with them. One of the charges faced by Noon concerned her encouragement of an Australian child to engage in sexual activity.

Chat logs totalling 2,000 pages were uncovered by police, as well as 14,000 indecent images of children and 300 videos of children being abused.

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A pervert has been jailed for six years for sexually abusing two girls.

John Rigby assaulted one girl and gave her "hush money" to stop her telling her mother.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the abuse by 53-year-old Rigby, of Grasmere Grove, Rochester, dated back several years but the victim did not report it until more recently.

Simon Taylor, prosecuting, told the jury Rigby also molested another girl.

He denied six charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, 10 of indecent assault and six of indecency with a child.

He was convicted last month of all charges except one of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, which was left on the court file.

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Chris Langham arrived at Maidstone Crown Court, in the words of Judge Philip Statman, "a gifted actor and writer" - a Bafta award-winning performer at the peak of his career.

He left it in the back of a prison van, his name on the register of sex offenders and awaiting sentencing on 15 counts of making indecent images of a child - in other words, downloading child pornography.

Throughout his trial he had denied the charges. To plead guilty would have meant, he said, admitting he was a paedophile "which I am not".

But he admitted looking at child pornography online and gave two explanations for what he did.

The first was that he was researching a character, a sex offender, for the TV series Help.

The second, he said as his voice shook, was that he himself had been sexually abused as a child, and he had been drawn to the internet images of abuse "because it's an issue in my life".

Juror wept

It was dismissed as "pseudo-psychobabble" by prosecutor Richard Barraclough QC and the judge said neither explanation provided a legal defence.

When the jury were shown parts of the clips he had downloaded, one member wept.

In court Langham cut a repentant but often articulate figure, describing a life troubled not only by incidents of abuse as a child, but problems with drink and drugs before he gave both up in the 1980s.

He described how therapy and Alcoholics Anonymous had saved his life. He broke down once, when he described the impact his arrest had on his family.

"I just wanted to die and I tried to kill myself," he said.

The jury cleared him of six counts of indecent assault and two counts of serious sexual assault on a girl who was just 14 when the alleged crimes were to have begun.

Family support

Now a woman aged 25, she had gone to police after she heard media reports of Langham's arrest on suspicion of possessing child pornography in 2005.

Hidden from the defendant by a screen in court, she told the jury she had met the actor when he appeared in a theatre production of Les Miserables.

He took her to some of London's top restaurants and bought her expensive gifts. But her allegations that he had sex with her in his dressing room, in hotels and at his home did not convince the jury.

At times throughout the trial his three adult sons, each bearing a startling resemblance to the actor, sat at the back of the public gallery.

Moments before the verdict, Langham smiled and nodded to them.

After the verdict Detective Inspector Derek Cuff spoke outside the court on behalf, he said, of those whose voices had not been heard inside - the children sexually abused in the production of "harrowing" pornography which Langham had, by viewing, helped perpetuate.