Latest Offenders Kent

Description

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."

Description

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.