Latest Offenders SA

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Josh Stratford, 24, of Streetly, was caught out after police investigators picked up intelligence that photographs had been transmitted via online picture transfer website Dropbox.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that following a search of the defendant's home 158 category A images (the worst); 266 category B images and 758 category C images were discovered on some of the defendant's electronic devices. The collection included images of a female as young as four.

Prosecuting barrister Miss Amanda O'Mara said the defendant failed to hand over pass codes for four other devices and made "no comment" in his police interviews, but the officers estimated that he accessed 141,000 other images using the dark web and private networks over a four-year period.

The veterinary student, of Inglewood Grove, Streetly, in Walsall, previously pleaded guilty to three counts relating to possessing indecent photographs on May 18 last year.

Mitigating barrister Mr Callum Church said: "It is thoroughly unacceptable and there is no justification or explanation."

He added that Stratford had since attended courses with child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

Recorder Abigail Nixon told him his behaviour had been "perverted". She added: "This will affect your future and the rest of your life."

She sentenced him to eight months in jail, suspended for 12 months. He must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, attend up to 35 activity days to address mental health issues, and pay costs of 425 within three months. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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A former council leader has been handed an 18-month community order for sexual offences against children. Sean Coughlan, 65, from Willenhall, Walsall, admitted attempting to cause a female aged 13 or over to engage in a penetrative sexual activity. The ex Walsall councillor also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was charged after an operation by a paedophile hunter group saw a video of him being confronted shared online. The offences happened between August and December 2021. At the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Judge Michael Chambers said the former councillor had suffered a "great fall from grace". Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Coughlan had set up a secret Facebook page, posting intimate pictures and encouraging what he thought was a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity. "In reality, there was no child. This was a vigilante purporting to perform a public duty," the judge said. 'Element of grooming' A 30-minute video was posted online by the paedophile hunter group, which resulted in him being arrested and charged by West Midlands Police, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. "There was an element of grooming and clearly a disparity in age. There was an intention of penetrative sexual activity, but there was no harm as there was no child," Judge Chambers said. In mitigation the court heard he had no previous criminal convictions, and had served his community well. "But what you wrote in your letter to the court is right," continued the judge. "That regardless of the hundreds you have helped, your behaviour of late is what you'll be remembered for. You have suffered a great fall from grace." He had been remanded in custody since his arrest in December. Coughlan resigned as a Walsall councillor days after the paedophile sting film had been posted, and had initially denied the charges, but changed his plea last month. At Thursday's sentencing hearing he was also made subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Coughlan was elected as a councillor for Walsall borough in 1995, representing the ward of Willenhall South. During his career, he became deputy leader and then leader of both the Labour group and the authority, of which he was in charge between 2016 and 2018. During court proceedings he was suspended from the Labour Party and the Walsall Council Labour group.

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Scott Bamford attempted to meet three children, one of whom was just two years old A man has been sent to prison for three years after grooming three young children online and arranging to meet them in Camberley for sex. Scott Bamford, a 54-year-old from Walsall, was sentenced last Thursday (February 17) at Guildford Crown Court, having earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence. According to Surrey Police, Bamford engaged in sexually graphic conversations on an online chat website and made arrangements to meet three children, one of whom was aged two and the other two were under 11, in Camberley earlier this year. He arrived at a car park in the town that day and was subsequently arrested. In the boot of his car were children's toys appropriate for different ages and sweets, along with condoms and lubricant. The arrest took place after an investigation by specialist officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Bamford was charged on the same day as his arrest, and it's understood that none of the victims were placed at risk. In addition to his prison sentence, Bamford was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders' Register for an unlimited period. Investigating officer Detective Constable Colin Haynes, from SEROCU, said: "Bamford had planned to carry out child sexual abuse and travelled with the intention of committing this offence against three children. "This case demonstrates our continued priority to protect children from sexual exploitation from those who seek to do them harm. If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, I would urge you to report it to your local police force via 101. "We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help with providing access to a range of other support services."

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Wajid Ali lured the woman into his Walsall home in March 2019 before lunging at her, which caused them both to fall down the stairs.

He then sexually assaulted her, but the victim managed to scream out which alerted a neighbour who contacted the police.

When officers arrived they detained Ali, who tried deny attacking the woman who is aged aged in her 30s.

She has now been praised for her courage speaking out about the incident, recalling the attack and ensuring police had strong enough evidence to put Ali behind bars.

The 43-year-old, of Webster Road, Walsall, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

He was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court last Friday and was put on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Det Con Gina Tonks, who led the investigation for West Midlands Police, said: "The woman was courageous enough to make a statement and support a police investigation.

"Ali is a dangerous man and she has helped ensure he's lost his freedom and can't do the same to anyone else.

"She told us she hopes that by coming forward that other victims - including from the Asian community like herself - may be brave enough to speak out in the future.

"Anyone who has been subjected to the horrific experience of being assaulted will have our full help and support as we seek to put attackers behind bars."

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Former Walsall Council leader Sean Coughlan has pleaded guilty to two child sex offences. The 65-year-old admitted one count relating to sexual communication and one count relating to attempted sexual activity with a child under 16 between August and December 2021 when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday. Coughlan spoke to change his plea to guilty from not guilty. There was no application for bail. A trial had been due to be held on July 18. However now the veteran politician has pleaded guilty he will be sentenced in four weeks. Coughlan, of Martin Drive, Short Heath, Willenhall, was remanded in custody until then. Coughlan was the elected representative for the Willenhall South ward but resigned in December following his arrest after being caught in an internet sting. Self-styled paedophile hunters confronted Coughlan and posted a 30-minute video of them questioning the Labour politician on social media. He was then arrested and charged by West Midlands Police and spent Christmas behind bars after being kept in custody. A spokesman for Walsall Council said at the time: The council received Councillor Sean Coughlans written notice of resignation from his office as a councillor. His resignation was formally and immediately accepted. He is no longer a Walsall MBC councillor. He was first elected in 1995 and has successfully defended the seat on a number of occasions, the latest being in May this year. During his career he rose to become deputy leader and then leader of both his party and Walsall Council, which he was in charge of between 2016 and 2018. He stepped down as leader of the Walsall Labour Group in 2019. It is understood that Councillor Coughlan was also suspended from the Labour Party following his arrest.

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A sex offender sailor has been banned from going into parks or play parks after being caught hoarding child abuse images.

Gordon Gray, who has been in the Merchant Navy for 19 years, stockpiled thousands of files during Scotland's first coronavirus lockdown.

A court heard he downloaded and hoarded horrific videos of toddlers being raped and babies and young boys being sexually abused.

The 37-year-old kept nearly 5,000 files on an Asus laptop which was sitting on his bed when police officers arrived to investigate.

The stash of 4,779 images was built up between February 15 and October 22, 2020, Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard.

Between March 23 and May 29, Scotland was the subject of lockdown restrictions, to stop the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

Gray, of Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, returned to the dock yesterday to be sentenced, having earlier pleaded guilty to two charges.

He had admitted downloading indecent images of children and being in possession of the illegal files - in breach of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.

After hearing that Gray may lose his job as a result of the conviction and the fact he was being placed on the Sex Offenders' Register, Sheriff Murdo Mactaggart spared him jail.

He placed him on a three-year-long Community Payback Order which will see him supervised by social workers.

He also has to attend the Moving Forward: Making Changes programme, which seeks to help sex offenders change their ways.

He also placed Gray on the Sex Offenders' Register for three years and made him the subject of a conduct requirement, limiting his freedoms in the community.

The conduct requirement means he is not allowed any unsupervised conduct with anyone under the age of 16, unless it has been signed off by his supervising social worker.

He is also not to enter parks of play parks where he believes children may be, unless his social worker lets him, and his use of electronic devices will also be monitored.

And he has to notify those supervising him of his log-in details for his email and social media accounts and websites he uses, so they can keep tabs on what he is doing.

When he admitted his guilt, prosecutor Craig Wainwright said officers from Police Scotland obtained a search warrant for Gray's home "as a result of intelligence received".

He explained: "The accused was alone within the property.

"A search of the locus was carried out.

"A number of devices were recovered, but, in particular, an Asus laptop was on top of the bed in the bedroom.

"It was examined by officers of the Cyber Crime team. They recovered still and moving images."

Mr Wainwright said there a total of 3,161 indecent pictures, and 1,618 films had been downloaded, but all had been deleted.

Of the 4,779 files, 986 were assessed as being Category A images - showing the most extreme forms of child sex abuse.

He added: "They showed the sexual exploitation of male and female children aged between one and 14."

He said the films included a video of an 18-month-old boy being raped, a baby being sexually abused, and an eight-year-old boy exposing himself to the camera in a professional studio.

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Adrian Scott, 58, of Tidworth Road, Boscombe, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to ten counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, six of inciting a boy to engage in sexual activity without penetration, three of making indecent photographs of a child, one count of paying for sexual services of a boy without penetration and one of distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

Scott was jailed on Wednesday (November 24) for three years and eight months for all offences as well as being given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was also added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Following a national investigation concerning child sexual abuse and exploitation relating to a website which has storage and file hosting service based in New Zealand, Scott was identified as having an account and having uploaded and shared a number of files, while he claimed to be 16.

In April 2020, officers from Wiltshire Police's Child Internet Exploitation Team attended his address at the time in Great Durnford, Salisbury, with a search warrant.

A number of items were seized from the property where the extent of his offending was revealed, with evidence of Scott posing as a 16-year-old boy online to talk to other people about indecent images and using online chat sites to encourage boys as young as 13 to perform sexual acts, with money being sent on more than one occasion by online transfer.

The charges relate to 1,459 images and videos being recovered.

Detective Constable Jason Walsh, of the Wiltshire Police Child Internet Exploitation Team, said: "Cases such as this are often shocking and disturbing, and our job is to safeguard the victims.

"We are pleased to have secured a custodial sentence for Scott and this is testament to some superb partnership work.

"We will continue to act on intelligence we receive on these abhorrent crimes and will ensure the internet is not a safe place for individuals like Scott to prey on the most vulnerable in our communities."

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A man has been jailed for 15 years for raping a 71-year-old woman more than 40 years ago. Kenneth Wells, 63, of Verona Road, Salisbury, broke into Violet Brown's house, raped her and locked her inside in November 1980. The case was solved after officers re-tested evidence using DNA technology. The judge told Wells, who was arrested and released at the time of the offence, he had subjected Ms Brown to "the most terrifying circumstances". Wells previously also admitted burglary and false imprisonment at Salisbury Crown Court on 1 September. Ms Brown lived alone in Collingbourne Ducis, in Wiltshire, and because Wells locked her in, had to wait until morning before she was able to alert her neighbours and the police. Wells was arrested shortly afterwards and remained the prime suspect, but there was never enough evidence to charge him until June this year. 'Utterly traumatised' Wells broke into the house with at least one other man while Ms Brown was sleeping. The men, wearing stocking masks, shone torches in her face and yelled abuse at her during the attack. Sentencing Wells at Winchester Crown Court, Judge Angela Morris told him: "It doesn't bear imagination how terrified she [Ms Brown] must have been. "This is a case of some of the most abject humiliation, threats and violation towards a vulnerable and helpless elderly lady who was left utterly traumatised and physically injured by this appalling experience at your hands. "Not only did you rob her of her possessions, you also robbed of her everything she held dear, including her independence." Wiltshire Police reopened the cold case last year and using the latest in DNA technology, were able to confirm a direct match between the hair and fibre samples recovered from the original scene and Wells. Accomplice still sought Det Ch Insp Darren Hannant said: "There is no doubt that this horrendous attack had a lasting impact on Ms Brown, who had to live with the memory of this traumatic incident for the rest of her life. "Wells committed a truly despicable crime and probably thought he had got away with it. "But no unsolved serious case is ever completely closed. I am proud that we have finally been able to convict Wells and see him pay the price for what he did." Detectives said the sentencing should come as a warning to Wells' accomplice who watched him rape Ms Brown, as they hope that DNA will eventually reveal his identity too. Rape victims have the right to anonymity for life, but because Ms Brown died in 1996, she has been named and her family have released a photograph of her. Wells was sentenced to 15 years in prison and an additional six years on licence for the rape. He was also sentenced to three years for burglary and three years for false imprisonment, to run concurrently.

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Appearing at Salisbury Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing today (May 7), Nicholas John Wells, of Eyres Way, Salisbury, admitted to a charge of Section 2 Assault by penetration.

The court heard how he sexually assaulted a woman in her 30s just after midnight on May, 19 2019 in Hudson's Field.

Shortly after the incident an e-fit drawing of the suspect was released, and the appeal was renewed in May 2020, a year after the assault.

However a breakthrough came in the form of developments in DNA evidence sampling technology which meant that Wells, a suspect in the case, was matched to samples taken from the victim. He was subsequently charged and remanded in custody.

DC Hannah Milburn, the Wiltshire Police officer leading the investigation for CID South, said: "We are very pleased with today's result which means that Wells' victim will not have to endure having to revisit her horrific ordeal by being involved in a court trial.

"I'm sure that the public will be reassured that a dangerous sex offender has been taken off the streets and will face justice for his crimes."

Her sentiments were echoed by DI Dean Garvin who said: "This was a horrific crime.

"Nicholas Wells attacked a young lady and sexually assaulted her. I would like to pay testimony to her courage, both in reporting this and throughout the process.

"This has been a long and complex investigation.

"DC Hannah Milburn never gave up on her efforts to bring the victim justice. I want people to know that we never give up on these cases, even if they take years, we will continue to work on them and try to solve them.

"The offenders should live with that. They should always look over their shoulder. That is what they do to their victims."

Wells is due to appear before Salisbury Crown Court on July 2 for sentencing.

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A man from the West Midlands travelled nearly 90 miles to Bedford with the intention of sexually abusing an 11-year-old child.

He was handed five years in prison at Luton Crown Court on Thursday, January 21.

Jamie Macpherson, 46, from Walsall was arrested at Bedford Train Station by police soon after arriving in Bedford, Bedfordshire, on June 18 last year.

He was found with two hard drives containing "huge" amounts of indecent images of children.

The images included category A images which means: "Images involving penetrative sexual activity, images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism."

These were described by investigators as "some of the worst and most abhorrent child sexual abuse material" they had ever seen.

Following his arrest Macpherson pleaded guilty to facilitating and arranging the commission of a child sexual offence, possession to show or distribute indecent images of children, and possession of indecent images of children.

Additionally, he also pleaded guilty to distributing indecent images of children, in relation to offences committed in the West Midlands.

His five-year sentence was comprised of three years for the Bedfordshire offences and a further two years, to run consecutively, for the West Midlands offences.

He was also served with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Macpherson's plans to travel to Bedford were uncovered as a result of a proactive operation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit.

Once Macpherson was arrested, the investigation team worked with digital media investigators, who were instrumental in securing the evidence from the hard drives in his possession.

Investigation Officer Paul Baddeley, from Bedfordshire Police's Cyber Hub, said: "Macpherson is an extremely dangerous offender who has travelled a long way from his home with a clear intent to sexually abuse a child.

"Following his arrest, he was found in possession of huge amounts of indecent images of children. Some of these have been described as some of the worst and most abhorrent child sexual abuse material the investigation team have ever seen.

"Thanks to close collaboration with our colleagues at West Midlands Police and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, this horrific offender will be locked up away from our communities and children he could pose a risk to."

He added: "We are seeing an ever increasing amount of referrals of this nature, we would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and guardians of how important it is to ensure their children know how to keep themselves safe online.

"Any child can become the victim of grooming, no matter what their gender, ethnicity or background. If you think that this might be happening to you or someone you know then it's important you speak out and tell someone you trust."

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A MAN who planned to rape an eight-year-old girl travelled across the country with sex toys.

Lance Baynes was caught with restraints, sex toys, and lubricant at a Hampshire service station.

The 48-year-old had arranged to meet another man at Sutton Scotney Services and then rape an eight-year-old girl.

However, he was arrested during a police sting on August 21 this year.

When police seized Baynes' electronic devices they found 1,430 indecent or extreme images.

Officers also discovered he had been the admin of an online account which had been sharing images of children with other paedophiles.

Baynes formerly of Cedar Close in Walsall had also been communicating sexually with a 13-year-old girl, a Winchester Crown Court heard.

He pleaded guilty to the following ten charges:

• Arranging/facilitating the rape of a child under 13-years-old

• Three counts of making indecent images of children

• One count of possession of extreme indecent images

• Three counts of distributing indecent images of children

• Intentionally encouraging an offender to commit an indictable offence.

He was today, sentenced to eight years in prison and will be on license for four years after his release.

DC Steve Hill, of Hampshire Constabulary's ICAT said: "Prior to his arrest Lance Baynes had been planning to commit an atrocious offence against what he believed was an 8-year-old girl. He is a dangerous offender, and I hope his sentencing reassures the public.

"This was a complex and difficult investigation, and I would like to thank our colleagues at SEROCU for their assistance in bringing this case to justice.

"We take all reports of sexual offending very seriously, and will do anything in our power to bring those responsible to justice and to protect vulnerable people from such predators."

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A DAD-OF-THREE who was confronted by paedophile hunters at a Swindon Burger King has been jailed.

David Johnson, 37, was sent to prison for 18 months after he admitted attempting to groom a child and inciting sexual activity.

Swindon Crown Court heard last March he contacted a profile belonging to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl called India on social media website Chat Hour. The conversation later moved to WhatsApp.

He sent a picture of his private parts and suggested the “girl” touch herself. The married dad said he wanted to be India’s boyfriend and spoke of “taking it slowly and not doing anything she wasn’t comfortable with doing”.

Prosecutor Andrew Stone told the court: “Mr Johnson was told that India was a 14-year-old girl on several occasions. He acknowledged that and gave the very strong impression that he took it seriously because he expressed concerns about vigilante groups who were there to expose paedophiles. He knew exactly what was going on.”

The pair arranged to meet. At 7pm on April 24 last year, Johnson arrived at the Burger King restaurant on Queens Drive – only to be confronted by a group of so-called paedophile hunters. The vigilante group filmed the exchange and posted it to social media.

He answered no comment to questions put to him by police officers in his interview, but soon after confessed to his wife about what had been going on.

Mr Stone acknowledged there was no evidence that Johnson had made arrangements to have sex with the “girl” when he set up the Burger King meeting, for example by booking a hotel room. But he said throughout the pair’s conversations there were “quite clear statements from him he wanted a sexual relationship”.

Johnson, of Stoford, near Salisbury, pleaded guilty to attempting to groom a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Richard Williams, defending, said his client had paid to put himself through counselling. He had lost his marriage, been forced to leave two jobs, had had to leave the family home and was living with his mother.

Footage of his apprehension by the paedophile hunter group had made its way onto the internet. While that had since been taken down by the group, the court heard, it was an “extreme source of humiliation” for Johnson.

The lawyer said his client was a man of previous good character and could be rehabilitated. He has three daughters.

Judge Peter Crabtree sentenced Johnson to 18 months imprisonment. He must abide by a sexual harm prevention order limiting his access to the internet for 10 years and sign on to the sex offenders’ register for the same length of time.

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A PAEDOPHILE from Salisbury travelled more than 100 miles hoping to meet an underage teenage girl for sex. Nigel McDermott, 53, contacted who he thought was a teenage girl online and arranged a rendezvous in Crawley, West Sussex. The builders merchant, of Hawks Ridge, Harnham was in fact contacting an undercover police officer, instead of a 13-year-old. Sussex Police said no child was ever at risk during the investigation, and arrested him at a car park in Tilgate Park. McDermott appeared at Hove Crown Court where he admitted facilitating a child sexual offence. He was jailed for three years. Investigator David Sharpe said; McDermott engaged in online contact with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but who was in fact a police officer. This arrest followed a proactive, intelligence led investigation, part of our continuing priority to protect children from sexual exploitation and from those who seek to do them harm. McDermott will be a registered sex offender and was put under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which cuts his access to children and computers. The investigation was led by the Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit. Victims of child sex abuse can contact 101 and speak with investigators.

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A 26-YEAR-OLD father who sexually abused a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for five years. Daniel Reed of Oak Close, Farley, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to six counts of sexual activity with a child. The court heard that the abuse took place between February and May last year after a "wholesome friendship" between Reed who is a father to two young children and his victim turned physical, starting with kissing before moving to sex. Judge Andrew Barnett told the defendant: "You ruthlessly exploited her [the victim] by pleasuring yourself in the way that has been described here today. "You have effectively robbed her of her childhood. "She is left with the difficulty of never really every being able to have a proper relationship, because of what you have done." Tears were shed by relatives of the victim, who were present at the hearing, with a cry of "yes" when the jail term was delivered. Speaking after the decision, Wiltshire Police Det Con Kim Weston praised the girl for her bravery in cooperating with the investigation. She said: Over many months, Reed groomed his 14-year-old victim to the point that she trusted him and believed that she loved him. During some of her most vulnerable times, he used that trust to enter into a sexual relationship with her. The victim has shown unbelievable strength through this process and I hope that the sentence today allows her time to heal and move forward with her life. She added: We know that child sexual abuse can have a long-lasting impact on victims, right into adulthood and that they need appropriate specialist support.

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WILTSHIRE'S most prolific paedophile received six life sentences today for more than 100 vile crimes against children as young as two. Peter Daniels, aged 70, glared and shrugged from the dock of Salisbury Crown Court as he received the life-long jail term. Judge Richard Parkes described the pervert as "an expert in grooming". Daniels, previously of Eyres Drive in Alderbury but now of HMP Isle of Wight, was sentenced for 78 offences of child sexual abuse against 22 young victims aged between just two and 15-years-old, after admitting the charges in December. The children were abused by the 70-year-old over a 10-year period. Despite receiving six life sentences and numerous other lengthy jail terms Daniels will only be required to serve a minimum of nine years behind bars before his case can go before a parole board. The court heard that Daniels gained access to his victims, who are all from Salisbury, by befriending their families (who were often vulnerable) and grooming not only the children involved, but their parents. Victim statements from parents of Daniels' young victims said they felt blame for "failing to protect" their children. But Judge Parkes told the 12 families who attended today's hearing: "It is a warm and human impulse to like and to trust others. "[Daniels] was widely known and liked. He seemed a very kind, helpful and decent person. "They [the victims' parents] have no reason whatsoever to blame themselves for failing to realise he has a very dark side." He was previously jailed for 12 years in October 2017, after admitting 12 offences, including rape, against the first two young victims to come forward. Detective Sergeant Eirin Martin of Salisbury CID told the Journal that after Daniels' first two victims came forward, hard drives were uncovered at his home containing hundreds of thousands of indecent images of children - 4,000 of which he had created himself, documenting his abuse over the past 10 years, and a further 600,000 internet downloads. The images, a combination of still photographs and videos, were crucial evidence in bringing the scale of Daniels' offending to light. The abuse took place in Daniels' home in Alderbury, where he lived alone, and a representative of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Claire Booth said in the footage "a small number of the victims were asleep, but for the most part they were awake and fully aware of what was happening". Ms Booth described Daniels as being like an uncle to his victims. "[He was like] a loving, caring uncle, who looked after them, treated them with kindness and love, treated them to days out and gifts, and made them feel special," she said ahead of today's sentencing. But she said he had two different personas, and this was in part what made his attempts at grooming and manipulation so successful. "The Mr Daniels in the police interview appeared to be a calculating, cold man," she added. "He seemed to have very little appreciation for how his offending could have in any way impacted on these children, and on their emotional and physical wellbeing." DS Martin said: "This investigation is the biggest child sexual exploitation investigation that Wiltshire Police has ever undertaken and involved more than 25 specialist officers from across our county. "The investigation involved interviewing of over 30 children, witness statements and examination of a large amount of digital media and exhibits." And she praised the victims involved for their bravery, and for preventing further children from falling prey to the paedophile. "Daniels is a predatory offender who was actively offending at the time of his arrest, and who I have no doubt would have gone on to offend if it had not been for the bravery of the victims coming forward and telling us what has happened to them," she said.