Latest Offenders Kent

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Matthew Lovage began shaking and breathing heavily, unbuttoned his shirt and clutched his chest as he was told he was guilty.

The 27-year-old, of Sir Bernard Paget Avenue, Repton Park, was allowed half an hour to recover before learning he faced a lengthy term behind bars.

Lovage was found guilty by the jury at Canterbury Crown Court of the rape of a young child and sexual activity with the same victim.

He was arrested after allegations were reported by an Ashford children’s nursery – but he denied the of­fences.

The victim gave evidence at the three-day trial via CCTV from a special room in the crown court.

The sentencing hearing was adjourned for five weeks while reports are prepared which will consider what danger Lovage poses to children in the future.

His lawyer, Kieran Moroney, made no application for bail and Judge Heather Norton ordered Lovage to sign the sex of­fender register.

Mr Moroney said Lovage had an undiagnosed medical problem and was undergoing medical tests.

Judge Norton told Lovage: “You should prepare yourself for a custodial sentence – and one of some considerable length.”

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A Thanet man has been given a 12-year extended sentence for a string of child sex offences going back many years.

Mark Lloyd, 47, of Westgate on Sea, sat passively in the dock as one of his victims watched from the public gallery at Canterbury Crown Court just a few feet away.

Lloyd, of Victoria Road, Westgate On Sea had been found guilty of nine child sex offences after a trial at Canterbury Crown Court last month.

The court also heard that when police raided his home they discovered he was growing 72 cannabis plants in three rooms.

The pervert pleaded guilty to cultivating the drug but denied the sex offences.

He was given a 12-year extended sentence made up of a nine-year jail term and an extra three years on licence.

Judge Heather Norton told him he wont be eligible for parole until 2021 and will have to serve up to six years on licence when released.

The judge told him that he posed a significant risk of committing future sex offences against children and the public needed protecting.

Judge Norton said his victims are suffering and will continue to suffer from some years to come.

She added: You have shown no pity or remorse, no insight whatsoever for your offences.

The offences relate to three young victims and took place more than 10 years ago.

Lloyd declined to comment when officers interviewed him about the abuse which took place after he had been drinking and also failed to take to the stand in court at his trial.

The court heard how, following the report of the assaults to Kent Police, officers searched Lloyds home in September 2014 and found 72 cannabis plants growing in the spare room, bedroom and loft.

Also seized from his house were two books on horticulture and how to grow cannabis, two sets of scales, a safe, numerous clear plastic bags, latex gloves and various fertilisers.

"You have shown no pity or remorse, no insight whatsoever for your offences" - Judge Heather Norton

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Paul Deslandes of Kent Police said: "I would like to commend the victims in this case for their bravery in coming forward to disclose their abuse, in what has been a very emotional time for them all.

"Lloyds abuse has not only affected the victims but also their families and I hope that all those involved can finally begin to move on with their lives, knowing that Lloyd will be behind bars for the foreseeable future."

Lloyd was told he will be on the Sex Offenders' Register for life and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order to stop him being alone or working with children.

After Lloyd left to start his sentence, Judge Norton praised the victim for her courage and thanked her for attending the sentencing.

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Reported to be in Hadlow

A 25 year old WROTHAM man has been charged with downloading hundreds of videos and photographs of child abuse.

Lee Drury, of Borough Green Road, was found guilty of 18 offences which prosecutors claim took place between July 7 and August 20 last year.

Some of the images related to pictures classed as level A the most serious classification, which can include content involving bestiality and sadism.

Drury who lives opposite two schools in the Wrotham area of Kent was sentenced to 16 months at Maidstone Crown court

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A serial sex attacker who targeted women and girls aged between 16 and 50, threatening to kill his victims if they screamed, has been jailed for life.

John Williams, 47, of Essetford Road, Ashford was told he must serve at least seven years, but might never be freed.

Canterbury Crown Court heard the 29 offences dated back as far as 1991.

He admitted 10 sex assaults, one assault bid, an indecent assault and one theft and asked for 16 theft and sex offences to be taken into account.

The offences included an assault on a 23-year-old woman as she walked her dog along a footpath near Singleton Lake on 2 August 2013.

A 47-year-old woman was attacked off Britannia Lane in September 2012 and a 16-year-old girl was assaulted in woods off Wesley School Road in June 2012.

Other assaults took place in Ashford and Chatham.

One of Williams's victims told BBC South East the attack had affected her whole family, which made it "twice as hard" for her.

"My confidence is shot right down," she said.

"I can't go to sleep without knowing everything in the house is locked. It's really difficult."

It has emerged the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is carrying out an inquiry into the Kent Police investigation.

Williams was identified as a suspect in October 2012 after an appeal for information.

But by the time he was interviewed and a DNA sample was taken in September 2013, which linked him to the attacks, two more assaults had taken place.

Kent Police have not commented on the IPCC inquiry.

Det Insp Richard Vickery said Williams subjected his victims to very frightening ordeals.

"The evidence they were able to provide without doubt forced Williams to admit his guilt," he said.

"I hope today's sentence goes some way to providing closure to the families affected."

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A pervert who groomed a schoolgirl for sex on the internet and downloaded child abuse images has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. James Newman made contact with the girl on a social media site called BearShare in January last year when she was aged 12. They continued to chat on Skype with Newman claiming he was 18. He told her his true age - 23 - before arranging to meet her shortly after she turned 13. Prosecutor Paul Valder said Newman picked the girl up in his car at Rochester railway station and drove her to an industrial estate in Strood. They kissed and undressed before having consensual sexual intercourse in the back of the car. It was the same scenario when they met on two further occasions, Mr Valder told Maidstone Crown Court. Newman did not use a condom and the girl was concerned on the second occasion that she could be pregnant. He advised her to have a pregnancy test. It proved negative but she had the same fear after the third occasion and confided in a teacher at her school. Her family and the authorities were informed. Newman was arrested at his home in Longfield Avenue, New Barn, near Longfield, in November. Computer equipment was seized and almost 200 images and movie clips at all levels of seriousness were found. He admitted three offences of sexual activity with a child and five of possessing indecent images of a child. He denied a rape charge and a not guilty verdict was entered. Louise Oakley, defending, said Newman became isolated and incredibly withdrawn after he was bullied at school. He was spending more and more time in his bedroom and turned to the internet, she said. He accessed images and received them from other people. He desperately wanted to seek help but didnt know where to turn. Miss Oakley added: Prison is having a significant impact on him. He is not a lost cause. "He is young and has a lot to learn. He will come out, no doubt, a different man than when he went in. Newman was sentenced to four years for sexual activity with a child and six months consecutive for possessing the images. "He is young and has a lot to learn. He will come out, no doubt, a different man than when he went in - Louise Oakley, defending Judge Charles Macdonald QC said there had been planning and grooming and there was a significant disparity in age. Custody is the only possibility here for this kind of offending, he added. You are truly sorry and, perhaps most importantly, there is a lack of maturity which has affected your responsibility. A sexual offences prevention order was made for 10 years and Newman will be on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

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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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A paedophile who had 125,000 indecent images of children on his computer has been jailed.

Mark Middleton, 52, from Hunton, was sentenced to sixteen months in prison for eight counts of making and possessing indecent images of children.

It was one of the largest seizures of indecent images by Kent Police's public protection crime unit.

Middleton admitted the crimes at Maidstone Crown Court in February, and was sentenced Friday.

Detective Sergeant Dave Shipley said:

"Every image represents a child being subject to sexual abuse.

"Kent Police will always work hard to bring to justice those offenders that encourage child abuse by creating a market for the images."

A warrant was executed at his home address in November 2005 during which officers seized hundreds of items of computer equipment that Middleton used to store images and movies.

Middleton was found with 125,397 indecent images of children. Images are ranged between levels 1 - 5. Level 5 is the most serious.

He was found with 119,070 images at level 1; 3,609 at level 2; 968 at level 3; 1,058 at level 4; and 692 at level 5.

He has been disqualified from working with children, given a sexual offences prevention order and placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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A judge said the 48-year-old music teacher at a Sevenoaks school had persistently carried out organised recruitment of under-age boys for his sexual gratification.

“I conclude there is a significant risk of serious harm from future offences,” he added.

Woodward, of Hawden Close, Hildenborough, will have to serve a minimum of two-and-a-half years, less nine months spent on remand, before being considered for release.

He was convicted of 10 charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one of sexual activity with a child and one of possessing an indecent photograph of a child.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Woodward, who taught at The New Beacon, had a sexual interest in boys under the age of 16 and would drive them to his home in his Saab car and get them to duck down in an attempt to hide them from neighbours.

Peter Forbes, prosecuting, said some of the seven complainants complied with his obscene requests, while others declined. They were paid £10-20 or rewarded with alcohol or cannabis.

Woodward’s secret began to unravel in July last year when one of the boys told his parents about what had been happening.

When arrested, Woodwood maintained that boys had only been to his house when accompanied by parents.

Mr Forbes said a computer was seized from an office at Woodward’s school. He had used search words such as “naked boys” and “boys showering”.

Woodward claimed notes he had written were “silly fantasies”. He added: “They are embarrassing, but I don’t abuse children. I don’t want to. I never have done. A suggestion I would bring them to life is ridiculous. I am not a danger to children.”

But the prosecutor said: “The Crown’s case is that Paul Woodward is a predatory paedophile, who has over a period of time established relationships with young under-age boys and encouraged them to his house.

“He has given them lifts to his home. He has incited them to engage in sexual activity, playing on young boys’ weaknesses and naivete.

“No doubt his experience as a teacher gave him an insight into the minds of young boys. Some may have been more street wise than others, but they are all under the age of 16.”

Charlotte Newell, defending, said Woodward, who suffered from diabetes, had fragility and had been a lonely man.

“Where he finds himself today is a terrible shame,” she said. “He has dedicated his entire adult life to teaching. He is held in high regard and affection by many of his former pupils and their parents.

“He is described as being kind and thoughtful to those he teaches. He worked hard to gain that respect and his position in school. He has lost everything, his job and chance of ever teaching again.”

Judge James O’Mahony told Woodward: "You prostituted these young boys, giving them money. You took them in your car where they could score cannabis with a supplier.”

Woodward changed tactics when he was arrested and released on bail. He then used his car for sexual activity.

“You still deny the undeniable, as you did to the jury, saying you are not interested in under-age boys,” said Judge O’Mahony.

Because he did not accept what he had done, some of the boys were forced to give evidence and relive what happened.

The judge said if he had imposed a determinate sentence it would have been one of five years.

Woodward was banned from unsupervised contact with children under 16 and using the internet to view images of children. He was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Det Con Donna Hopper said: "Preparing the case against Paul Woodward was a lengthy and painstaking process. It was important that I gained the trust of his victims, who were naturally very reluctant to speak of what happened, sufficiently to persuade them to give evidence against him.

"They are to be commended for having the courage to do so.

"I am very pleased that Paul Woodward was given a custodial sentence of a type that now requires him to address his actions and behaviour and prove he is no longer a danger to the public before he can be released."

Mike Piercy, head teacher at The New Beacon School, said: "None of the charges related to pupils of the school."

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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.