Latest Offenders Somerset

Description

A twisted pervert who tried to rape one elderly woman in her home and sexually targeted another has been jailed for 20 years.

Damian Lasota was described by a judge as the "stuff of nightmares" after preying on the two lone females in the Twerton area of Bath.

His campaign of terror was halted after police installed CCTV at the women's homes and he was caught in action and arrested.

Lasota, 27, of Parry Close in Southdown, Bath, pleaded guilty to attempted rape, two charges of trespass with intent to commit a sex offence and two charges of exposure.

He appeared in the dock at Bristol Crown Court with a grey jumper draped over his head.

Judge Julian Lambert handed him a 20-year sentence, comprising of a 13-and-a-half year jail term and six-and-a-half years extended licence.

Lasota will have to serve at least two-thirds of the custodial term before the parole board considers him eligible for release.

The judge told him: "You are a predatory sex offender who is the stuff of nightmares.

"You were a masked prowler, stalking women at dead of night.

"You are proved to have attacked an older lady who was highly vulnerable.

"You then continued looking for opportunities to offend further.

"Your intention was to subdue and then rape women in their own homes at night.

"To say you have a deeply disturbed sexual psychology is an understatement."

Lasota was barred from working with children and vulnerable adults and ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

James Haskell, prosecuting, told the court that last year police received some 40 reports of a man exposing himself to women in the Twerton area.

He said that, after Lasota's arrest, there have been no further reports.

Mr Haskell told the court in May last year Lasota entered the home of a vulnerable 73-year-old woman and followed her to her bedroom.

Having pulled down his trousers and pants, he said he was not going to hurt her before trying to engage her in a sex act - which she declined.

The intruder told her "I like older women" as he exposed himself to her before leaving, the court heard.

After the incident was reported the woman's home had a security upgrade complete with surveillance cameras.

Lasota was captured on camera as he returned to the woman's home around 1am on several occasions and prowled in the back garden.

The court heard Lasota targeted a second woman, aged 65, by visiting her home in the early hours and exposing himself - which was also captured on CCTV.

Mr Haskell said: "Plain clothed police officers were in the area, near the address.

"They saw a male who appeared to be acting suspiciously.

"The defendant appeared to be shining a light towards her property.

"The defendant realised he had been disturbed and ran off.

"He was pursued by police and he was arrested."

Description

A dangerous sexual predator has been jailed for raping five women - spiking the drinks of some of his victims before carrying out the attacks.

Hotel chef Tom Wade-Allison, 25, committed a campaign of sexual violence, stupefying women by adding an unknown substance to their drinks before assaulting them.

He was found guilty at Exeter Crown Court last month of 14 offences against five young woman aged between 17 and 20.

They recalled feeling they had lost control of their bodies during the assaults. They would drift in and out of consciousness, waking to the sight of Wade-Allison having sex with them, unable to fight him off.

Some recalled being in a daze, telling him to stop but he ignored their pleas.

One said she felt like she was "trapped in my own body".

He was described in court as a man with no apparent understanding of the seriousness of his crimes and an ongoing danger to women.

Judge Timothy Rose told Wade-Allison: "It was a campaign of rape and other offences enacted over a 20 month period of offending against victims in similar circumstances.

"These were circumstances you either developed yourself or manipulated to obtain the outcome in question or at least repeatedly take advantage of."

Wade-Allison, of Martock, was jailed for 24 years.

The assaults came to light after one of the victims told police he had raped her while she was unable to consent. Her memory of the incident was vague because Wade-Allison had spiked her drink, she thought. Her report caused other victims to come forward and reveal similar experiences.

Judge Rose said it was difficult to be sure how many of the victims had been drugged before being raped. He said he could be certain that two of them had been and a third almost certainly.

He said: "You plied their drinks with a substance, whatever it may have been, intending to affect their self-control as a way of facilitating your sexual acts upon them, utterly against their will and against their knowledge."

The defendant's crimes had features in common, said the judge, such as the victims having had a lot to drink and it being clear they did not consent, though not all of the victims were drugged.

Most of the crimes took place in Somerset but he also offended in Honiton.

Each of the victims provided a personal impact statement to the court outlining the devastating effect on their lives.

One said Wade-Allison was an 'absolute parasite in my life'.

"My life will never be the same again because of him. My life seems permanently dark and troubled," she said, coming to court to testify against him had forced her to dig up memories she had tried to bury.

Judge Rose said Wade-Allison appeared to believe he would not be caught.

"You were not deterred at any stage. You were emboldened by the apparent conclusion you were just getting away with it."

He added: "On any assessment of the evidence and circumstances I'm given to wonder whether you had some kind of deficiency of personal understanding of the nature and extent and seriousness of the crimes you were committing.

"You have expressed no remorse, acceptance, no insight into the offences you committed. On all the evidence I've heard, you remain a danger to women. There is a profound misogynistic element to your offending and predatory sexual attention.

"There is no thought or feeling towards the victims. No concern to the pain, physical and psychological of the offending. You present a significant risk of causing significant harm."

Wade-Allison denied nine charges of rape, four sexual assaults, and one attempted rape.

Mr Nigel Wraith, in mitigation, said he still did not accept his guilt. He was 20 and 21 at the time of the offending and has no previous convictions.

"He will no doubt find the lengthy sentence a very difficult experience," said Mr Wraith.

Wade-Allison will serve two-thirds of his 24-year sentence in jail. He will serve the remaining eight on license and subject to recall should he breach the conditions.

At the conclusion of the sentencing, Judge Rose paid tribute to the victims for coming forward.

He said: "I want to take a minute to commend all of the victims who came forward for their bravery, the way they were prepared to report the offences in question and enable this trial and result to be reached.

"It is commonly known a number of victims of sexual offences do not report for various and understandable reasons and it takes a great deal of bravery, commitment and suffering to do so.

"So I am very grateful to all who came forward to enable this to take place and I commended the police officer in the case."

Description

A man who raped a woman and had sexual activity with a child has been jailed.

Alan Barney abused the girl, aged 13, in a home near Bristol.

Bristol Crown Court heard it was a month after he forced himself on a woman at her home.

Barney, 29, of Roseberry Avenue in Yeovil, pleaded guilty to rape and sexual activity with a child.

The recorder Mr Malcolm Gibney jailed him for eight years and nine months.

He told Barney: "These two episodes were appalling and devastating both for (the woman) and, obviously, to the younger (girl)."

Barney was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, designed to stop him reoffending, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Richard Posner, prosecuting, said the child froze when Barney was sexually intimate with her.

The distressed child told her mum: "I wanted to say no but no words came."

Barney told police "snitches would get stitches", the court heard.

He made a prepared statement denying wrongdoing before answering no comment to other questions.

Mr Posner said it transpired that, a month before the sexual activity with a child, Barney raped a woman in her home.

She made an impact statement in which she said the rape changed her life and, as well as physical pain, had left her suffering nightmares and flashbacks and receiving counselling.

Once again, Barney initially denied wrongdoing.

Mark Worsley, defending, said his client had a difficult childhood, with speech difficulties from an early age and borderline learning difficulties.

He described his client as immature and sometimes childlike, who liked watching wrestling and trying out moves on others.

Mr Worsley said: "His conduct is not excused by anything."

Detective Constable Russell Head, the police officer in charge of the case, said: "This is a welcomed sentence by the victims, bringing to a conclusion what has been a traumatic experience to them and allowing them to start to move on.

“This sentence reflects the risk that the offender possessed to vulnerable victims.”

Description

A pervert who secretly filmed women's bottoms has been jailed.

Police arrested Jamie Fowler in June last year for an unrelated matter.

Bristol Crown Court heard no further action was taken, but a search of his mobile phone revealed a secret stash of 17 videos he made, focusing on the backsides of women walking or jogging.

Fowler, 26, of Grenville Avenue in Weston-super-Mare, pleaded guilty to breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Judge Julian Lambert jailed him for 16 months.

He told Fowler: "You persistently breached the order by filming women for a sexual purpose, often lone females walking in relatively isolated spots.

"They were in a vulnerable position.

"Largely they were unaware of your sexual motivation.

"What you did was to create a risk of significant harm.

"If they had known they would have been shaken to say the very least."

The judge confiscated Fowler's phone.

Robert Yates, prosecuting, told the court Fowler made 17 videos in which he followed women and focused on their behinds.

In one video, shown in court, he pursued a young woman walking a dog and was heard to tell her "Your a*** is literally unreal".

Unaware of his sordid shenanigans she replied "Oh my God, thanks" and went on her way.

The court heard Fowler had nine court appearances for 22 offences, including exposure, voyeurism and sexual assault.

He was handed an indefinite SHPO, intended to stop him reoffending, in October 2013.

Derek Perry, defending, said: "He is plainly a young man with a long-standing problem."

Mr Perry said Fowler, who has qualifications in mechanics, committed sexual offences from the age of 14 but desisted when he formed a relationship.

When that relationship ended, the court heard, he turned to alcohol and was introduced to cocaine and relapsed into behaviour he had previously engaged in.

Mr Perry told the court: "He recognises in some videos women might have realised what was going on and may have felt some distress or unease.

"He is very sorry for doing that."

Description

Grandfather jailed after vile child images and 'depraved' chats found

After separating from his wife, he strayed into the dark side of the internet and obtained and shared 'horrifying' images

A man who was found with "sickening" child abuse images including ones which involved the rape of a baby has been jailed.

Christopher Bate, 67, of St John's Road in Frome, pleaded guilty to distributing A Class images between September 2013 and November 2018.

He also admitted possessing Category A, B and C images as well as an extreme porn image.

In total, he had 2,976 images and 879 movies in the most serious Category A.

He appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday (Febuary 12) to be sentenced.

The court heard how Bate was once married with children and grandchildren, Bristol Live reports.

But the court was told after separating from his wife, he strayed into the dark side of the internet and obtained and shared images which a judge described as "horrifying".

He was brought to book when Avon and Somerset Police called on him due to intelligence they received.

Nicholas Fridd, prosecuting, said Bate accessed child abuse movies and police made an appointment to see him.

Mr Fridd said officers found child abuse images across the category range on his computer tower and a further image on his phone.

When police identified websites Bate visited, they found he had said he liked "fit men and boys" and indicated he would like to sexually abuse a five-year-old boy.

His collection of vile images included babies and young boys being raped, the court was told.

Edward Hetherington, defending, said after separating from his wife Bate turned to the internet for sexual gratification and "short-term relationships"

Mr Hetherington said: "He then developed an interest in the darker, illegal, harmful part of the Internet.

"He still maintains it was a way of attracting attention and it would open up interest of others who would not otherwise engage in sexual conversation with him."

The court heard wheelchair user Bate had a plethora of ailments which included ulcers on his legs and feet, which ran the risk of amputation.

Judge Paul Cook jailed him for 28 months.

He told Bate: "The images were sickening and horrifying and demonstrate a focus on the most extreme abuse of very young children.

"They involved the rape of a baby.

"You have been communicating with other paedophiles and sharing movies and images.

"The conversations you had can only be described as depraved."

Bate was told to register as a sex offender and was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both for ten years. His computer devices were forfeited.

Description

A "dangerous" paedophile has been jailed for 19 years after he was convicted of raping a "very young girl".

Louis Cooper, 22, of Churchill Road, in Shepton Mallet, was given a 22-year sentence at Taunton Crown Court on Wednesday (October 9), consisting of 19 years of imprisonment and an additional three years as an extended licence period.

Cooper, who was otherwise known as Kodie Cooper, was found guilty of one count of rape of a child under 13, as well as a number of other sexual offences, including:

• attempted sexual communications with a child
• attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity
• making indecent photographs of children

Police said the victim was "a very young girl".

A statement from Avon and Somerset Police said the imprisonment of Mr Cooper was necessary to protect others from harm.

DC Jon Hooper, the investigating officer, said: "Louis Cooper is without doubt an extremely dangerous offender who poses a significant risk to members of the public, especially children.

"The offences he committed are among the most horrific I've had to investigate and in court the judge said it was hard to convey the horror of what he'd done.

"We can only hope the very young victim will not suffer any long-term damage as a result of the abuse she suffered.

"If Cooper had not been stopped, he would inevitably have gone on to commit further offences."

Description

A paedophile failed to tell his new partner he was a sex offender despite spending three nights in the same house as her children.

Jamie Goodchild, 26, of Crewkerne, appeared via video link at Taunton Crown Court on Friday (July 26).

He previously pleaded guilty to four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order after he was in the same house as three children under the age of 16 for three nights.

This was in breach of the court order imposed by Chelmsford Crown Court in 2016.

Prosecuting, Mr Russell, explained to the court that "he is prevented from speaking to anyone under the age of 16 without prior agreement of police".

He added Goodchild has been a registered sex offender since 2014.

Goodchild met the woman on dating website Plenty of Fish in early 2019.

Mr Russell said: "They appear to have started a relationship with him in 2019.

"He started the relationship and didn't visit her home until June 8 and stayed until June 11. She has three children of varying ages.

"His status on the register came to light on social media and he was challenged by his partner. After this, he left the property.

"In an interview to the police, he gave a statement that he had been seeing her for five months but denied he had been at her home."

Goodchild was previously sentenced to 20 months in prison for meeting a child after sexual grooming and two breaches of a previous court order in 2017.

Defending, Harry Ahjua, noted Goodchild "accepts there is no excuse of his abuse (of the court order) on this occasion".

He said: "The background to this case is that the defendant met the mother of those children on that website.

"He is allowed to lead a law abiding life in accordance to court.

"When he came to release, the lady he was dating had children and he should have told her about his court order. But he didn't."

"He will from now on fully and wholly abide by court orders."

Mr Ahjua added Goodchild struggles with his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and "forgetfulness".

The court also heard how Goodchild moved to Somerset to "better himself" but noted how his family "disowned him" due to his crimes.

Sentencing, Judge David Ticehurst, listened to Mr Ahuja's request for a suspended prison sentence but was troubled by several "concerns" raised in a probation report, including Goodchild's interests in younger children.

He said: "You chose to deal with younger females and are known to expose yourself to young females for your own sexual needs.

"In 2016, you were in breach of the court order. In 2017, you breached the order. In 2018, you breached the order.

"In four conservative years, you have made a further breach of the order.

"There have been persistent breaches of the order and it is of serious aggravation by your frequent breaches of the order."

Goodchild was ordered to spend two years in prison, pay 140 in costs and his sexual harm prevention order was ordered to stand until 2026.

Judge Ticehurst continued: "If you behave yourself, you will serve half of that. If you carry on breaching the order, you will go to the prison for longer."

Description

A paedophile who incited an 11-year-old boy to commit a sex act by targeting him online has been jailed for six years.

Sexual predator Kieran Reece Brosius was convicted of 17 different counts of sexual offences involving children before he was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on Thursday (July 18).

Brosius, 22, who formerly lived in Milborne Port, near Yeovil , was also found to be in possession of indecent images and videos of children and had been bombarding a child with messages online under the pretence that he was 14 years old.

In addition to his prison sentence, Brosius will serve an extended licence period of five years, ordered to sign the sex offenders register and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Brosius' offending came to the attention of the police in October 2017 after his inappropriate messages were uncovered.

Following the sentencing, the NSPCC called on whoever succeeds Theresa May as Prime Minister to push ahead with plans to increase the safety of children online.

An NSPCC spokesman for the South West of England said: This case is a painful reminder of how children are being preyed on unknowingly in their online worlds by adults often pretending to be somebody else.

The NSPCC called on the Government to introduce robust new laws to keep young people safe on the internet, through its Wild West Web campaign .

Its crucial the new prime minister ensures the announced plans for new online safety laws include grooming alerts and an independent regulator to hold social networks to account.

Description

A man from Wellington has been jailed for 10 years for child sexual offences.

Philip Hawkes, 55, was charged with 32 offences relating to online grooming of teenage girls and inciting them to commit sexual acts and send him indecent images.

He was also found in possession of numerous indecent images of children on his media devices.

Hawkes was handed the 10 year sentence at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday (July 2) after pleading guilty at the first hearing.

Hawkes will also be placed on the sexual offenders' register for life and be required to abide by Sexual Harm Prevention Order conditions.

Detective Sergeant Chris Jay said: We are committed to hunting down any person who uses the internet as a way to abuse children, or view or share indecent images of children.

This conviction and sentence demonstrates that the police and courts will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.

Description

A predator who targeted girls in teen chat rooms was unmasked as a convicted child rapist by a Scotland Yard sting operation.

Daniel Robinson pretended to be a 17-year-old and encouraged a 13-year-old girl to touch herself and send him images without realising he was in fact messaging an undercover police officer.

He was jailed after police tracked him down to his home and found images on his computer of a previous victim of his grooming.

Robinson, aged 34, was already on the sex offenders' register because he raped a 14-year-old gymnast who he met while working as a fitness trainer in Taunton in 2006.

He drove the girl to the countryside near his former home in Watchet where he raped and sexually assaulted her. He was jailed for six years at Taunton Crown Court in 2006.

Chef Robinson, of Conygar View, Dunster, admitted attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, and making indecent images of children.

He was jailed for two years by Recorder Jonathan Barnes at Exeter Crown Court and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order which restricts his future contact with children and use of the internet.

He told him: "These offences are aggravated very seriously by your previous conviction for rape. After anxious consideration, I am persuaded, just, that you should not be classified as a dangerous offender."

Mr Robert Yates, prosecuting, said Robinson contacted what he thought was a 13-year-old girl called Libby on the kids' channel of the Chat Avenue website in June 2017, claiming to be a 17-year-old boy.

Mr Yates said: "The conversation was of a sexual nature and he suggested a video call in which he proposed to masturbate."

He went on to urge 'Libby' to show her breasts and vaginal areas on Skype and to touch herself sexually. The Metropolitan Police passed his details to colleagues in Barnstaple and his home was searched.

An analysis of his computer found four images of young girls exposing themselves which he admitted had been sent after contact in chat rooms.

Mr Rupert Taylor, defending, said there had been no physical contact with any girl and the Skype conversation was not with a real person.

He said Robinson is now living with his family and working as a head chef. The probation service have recommended that he go on a sex offender treatment programme, which would not be available in jail.

Description

A paedophile who preyed on a "10-year-old girl" suggesting she slept with him, dress up in leotards and move in with him at his home in Yeovil has escaped jail when he appeared in court to be sentenced.

John Jannikos had no idea at the time that he was engaged in conversation with a decoy profile of a young girl in a trap set up by a paedophile hunter group.

He regularly talked to her over the course of several months, asked if she knew what a condom was and asked her for sex, reassuring her it was ok after she suggested her mum would not allow it.

He also said he had bought her some leotards and sent her photos of a pink and blue one saying he couldn't wait to see her wearing them.

When he was confronted outside his home with evidence of his activities by members of the group the police were called and searched his home.

In his bedroom they discovered the same two leotards in the pictures sent to the 'victim' covered in semen stains along with a sex toy resembling a young girl.

The 31-year-old defendant, of Willow Road, denied a charge that between August 28, and September 25 last year in Somerset he attempted to communicate with a person under the age of 16 who he did not believe was 16 or over, and the communication was sexual, namely talking about sex and asking her if she knew what a condom was, and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

However he was convicted of the offence following a trial held before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil.

They sentenced Jannikos to a three year community order with a direction to comply with a sex offenders programme.

He must also carry out a 20 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and complete 150 hours unpaid work.

Costs of £775 and an £85 victim surcharge were also imposed and he was ordered to remain on the Sex Offenders Register for the next four years.

Prosecutor Suzie Butler said that it was a case of internet grooming by the defendant who thought he was speaking to a 10-year-old girl but it was really a decoy profile.

The profile had been set in the name of a "girl" called Amy Beech and a male with Facebook profile of John Jannikos soon contacted her and a number of conversations took place between them between August and September last year.

"During these conversations the defendant offered to buy her a leotard and bikini and asked if she wanted to move in with him," she said.

"He also asked her if she knew what a condom was and said he knew there was an age gap but he would like them to be together.

"He said he loved her and cared about her and then sent the question 'Sex?' followed by a thumbs up sign.

"Jannikos also told the 'girl' he ordered her a leotard and four sets of swimwear and wanted her to try them on and send him pictures.

"He also said he loved her, sent her pictures of a pink and a blue leotard when the order was delivered and said he couldn't wait to see her in them."

When the defendant was confronted by members of the paedophile hunter group he said he was ashamed.

The police were called and he was arrested, and when they searched his address a mobile phone, tablet and laptop were found.

They also discovered two leotards, similar to those in the photos, and when stains were found on them the officers asked Jannikos what it was and he said it was semen.

He said he had been "so stupid" but when he was voluntarily interviewed he made no comment to all questions asked of him.

A data extraction report showed evidence that the defendant had purchased the two leotards from an online retailer although no indecent images of children were found on the devices.

Defending solicitor Ray Peters said that his client "still maintained his innocence" despite being found guilty following a trial.

He said that Jannikos lived with his uncle for whom he was a full-time carer.

"He admitted carrying out certain acts to the Probation Service and has confided that he would benefit from some help from them, although denies any inappropriate sexual urges towards young children," he said.

"He would be required to comply with an accredited sexual offending programme which would be a severe restriction on his liberty and a great commitment for quite a lengthy period of time."

Description

A paedophile jailed for sexually assaulting two schoolgirls and other offences lived and worked in Burnham-on-Sea.

Dale Fellows was sentenced to 18 years behind bars at Wolverhampton Crown Court earlier this month (June 3) for 12 offences which included rape, sexual assaults and attempted rape between 2016 and 2017 against one of the girls.

He was also found guilty of three charges against the other victim between 2008 and 2015.

The 34-year-old was caught after the girls - who were both 13 when they were abused - bravely came forward and recalled their experiences to West Midlands Police, who were then able to build up a case.

A source confirmed to Somerset Live that Fellows lived and worked in the seaside town at some point between 2008 and 2017 - when some of the offences were committed.

It is unclear when - and why - he left the area.

Depraved Fellows, whose address was given as Rosehilll Gardens, Willenhall, Walsall, in court, was also made to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Sergeant Vicky Kelleher, from West Midlands Police, said: "Without the courage of the victims in coming forward we would not have been able to bring Fellows to justice.

"Their bravery enabled us to fully investigate and ensure no-one else will have to suffer sexual abuse at his hands in future.

"The force has specialist officers to support victims and work tirelessly to ensure those responsible do not escape the full force of the law."

Description

A St John Ambulance volunteer from Weston will serve 11 months in prison for grooming underage girls for sex.

David Cardwell, aged 52, of Sunnyside Road, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child at Bristol Crown Court in May.

Cardwell, an NHS agency worker, was caught out by paedophile hunters who were posing as girls aged 12-14.

More than 1,214 explicit cartoon images 'of the very worst kind' involving children and babies were also found on his computer.

Judge Mark Horton, sentencing Cardwell at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, said: "There was grooming and sexualised conversations, including a discussion about meeting in Bristol for a sleepover and about how you would show her how to have sex."

Cardwell made contact with the 'girls' over a dating app before encouraging them to use WhatsApp and Kik so their conversations could be deleted.

Robin Shellard, prosecuting, said the 'decoys' never made first contact and all stated their age in the first communication.

Cardwell told the paedophile hunters he preferred young girls and asked them to send him pictures of themselves.

Police, after his arrest, found images of other unidentified girls of a similar age in his possession.

The court was told Cardwell has lost his family, house and job, and has been suffering from suicidal thoughts since his arrest.

The medic, who has worked in the operating department at Weston and Bristol hospitals, volunteered with St John Ambulance and the Air Training Corps and also ran basic first aid courses for children.

Judge Horton said: "Since these events the internet has taken its revenge on you and your family in a way which society would say is deserved, but is as personally crushing for you as it would be for families if these young girls had really been approached by you in the way you intended.

"There's no substantial remorse one would expect for the gravity of offence and no comprehension of the seriousness of the impact of this offending."

Cardwell was sentenced to 11 months in prison, followed by a 12-month supervision order.

He was ordered to sign the sexual offenders register for 10 years and given a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A pervert who sneaked a secret camera into a bathroom and filmed a woman draped just in a towel has been jailed for a total of 18 weeks after admitting four counts of voyeurism.

Daniel Chalmers obtained footage of the female in a state of undress at an address in Glastonbury and when the camera was discovered by another person the matter was reported to the police several years later.

When Chalmers appeared before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil to be sentenced he said he had taken many steps to address what happened but had now lost a lot of his social standing and respect from friends and people he cared about.

He said he was a creative person and said his upbringing had been confusing, especially around sex.

He said he did not know what was acceptable and what was not and had been exploring the boundaries of his inner adolescent sexuality.

Chalmers, 42, of Ebbor Lane, Wookey Hole, pleaded guilty to three counts that on or before March 16, 2016, at Glastonbury he recorded another person doing a private act with the intention that he, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, looked at an image of that person doing the act, knowing that they did not consent to that recording.

He also admitted installing equipment with the intention of enabling himself, for the purpose of his own sexual gratification, to observe another person doing a private act, knowing that they had not consented.

Prosecutor Suzie Butler said that the police were contacted after the hidden camera was found in a bathroom.

It was discovered to be a recording device that looked like a USB stick and it loaded up a number of files, she said.

When it was viewed it showed images of a female who was just wearing a towel.

Chalmers asked the person who had found it if they had taken anything from the bathroom and appeared to be quite upset and said he really needed it.

When he was interviewed by police he said he felt an enormous sense of remorse having lost the trust of his family.

He said his upbringing was confusing, especially around sex, and he had been made to feel ashamed by his mother after accessing porn at an early age even though she was having sexual relationships, she said.

He said he did not know what was acceptable and what was not and felt ashamed and appalled at his actions.

He said his intention was to see how it felt to use a remote recording device and was exploring the boundaries of his inner adolescent sexuality.

He said he did not know why he had filmed it and never actually saw the footage.

But he said it was not so much for sexual gratification but finding the boundaries between right and wrong and trying to understand that.

The court heard that the defendant worked at festivals during the summer and was also a craftsman making jewellery and taught bush craft skills.

Chalmers addressed the court himself and said that in the two years since the offence he had taken many steps to address what happened and had now lost much of his social standing, respect and trust, along with the woman he loved.

He said: I am so remorseful and upset at my behaviour and have lost my family and the respect of people and myself and it has led to a profound change in me.

He added that he was willing to financially support any of the people who had been affected by his actions if they needed counselling or professional support.

Chair of the magistrates, Mary Ellis, told the defendant there had been a serious abuse of trust and his offending had crossed the custody threshold.

You bought a camera and chose to place it in the bathroom and it was not a chance occurrence but a deliberate plan, however you view it, she said.

They sentenced Chalmers to a total of 18 weeks in prison and ordered him to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for the next seven years. A 115 victim surcharge was also imposed, payable on his release.

Description

A 21-year-old has been labelled a "persistent, predatory and exploitative paedophile" and jailed after attempting to meet a girl aged nine for sex in a Somerset hotel.

A court heard Scott Horsburgh from Radstock was caught in a sting by an uncover policeman who posed as the girl's dad on an online chatroom for children.

It was Horsburgh's first criminal conviction despite extensive evidence that he posed a danger to children, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Between 2013-2015 he received police cautions for crimes including inciting children under 13 years of age to engage in sexual activity.

Horsburgh admitted two charges when he appeared in court on Wednesday, May 15.

These were arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and breaching a sexual harm prevention order, both of which were committed between April 9-17 2019.

'I want her to call me big daddy'

The court heard he falsely claimed he was 15 in a profile with the username Boy For All on the chatroom on April 9.

He unwittingly contacted the undercover officer who was using a profile called Pre Teen Lover UK which had an avatar of a young girl in school uniform as its display picture.

Prosecuting counsel Chloe Griggs said: "This defendant's profile stated that he was 15 years old and his user information said 'Girls and mums any age'.

"Mr Horsburgh initiates the contact and writes 'Hey, do you f*** your daughter?'"

The undercover officer said his daughter was aged nine and Horsburgh told him "how he would like to sexually abuse" the girl, Ms Griggs said.

Hotel arrest

The conversation continued the next day.

Ms Griggs said: "The defendant writes 'Can she wear short skirts or shorts for me? I want her to call me big daddy or uncle'."

On April 15 the undercover policeman and Horsburgh arrange to meet in the car park of Co-op in Radstock and Horsburgh asked the officer to bring his daughter along, the court heard.

The officer then suggests meeting at the Centurion Hotel in Charlton Lane, Midsomer Norton and Horsburgh gave him his mobile phone number.

On April 17 the officer told Horsburgh that he was in room six of the hotel with the imaginary girl.

"He writes 'When I'm outside your door I will let you know and she can open it'," Ms Griggs said.

As Horsburgh approached the hotel reception, he was escorted away and arrested, she said.

The court heard he had no previous convictions. However, he had multiple police cautions for sexual offences committed since December 2012 - when he was aged just 15.

The cautions led to Horsburgh being taken into local authority care and removed from his natural family.

Ms Griggs also said he had "sexual discussions" on a website called Chat Hour for children aged 6-14 after creating another fake profile.

She said on June 1 2016 "a foster carer raised concerns with the police that this defendant was still talking to children openly".

She requested that the judge made Horsburgh subject to a further sexual harm prevention order which his defence counsel Caighli Taylor raised no objections to.

Miss Taylor told the court: "He's fully cognisant with the seriousness of the offences and the concerns the court will have about the risk he possesses and the inevitability of custody.

"One of the more significant strands of his mitigation is his guilty plea and his tendency to accept responsibility and accept his offending history.

"He has a complex background - abuse suffered at a young age, into the care system aged 16, cut off from his family at that point.

"Without going into detail it's plain to see that it's not been easy for him.

'Serious offending history'

"In the last few years he had been engaging with social services in relation to work around his offending behaviour.

"There will be many features of the report that reveal concern, not least that he's had a lot of help and gone onto commit these offences."

She added: "His regret is acknowledged to be genuine and [so] is his motivation to change.

"He fully intends to take every opportunity he's given to receive help in prison and work as hard as he can [on] his rehabilitation.

"His offending history is serious.

"The most serious cautions relate to when he was 16, not long after he was a victim of abuse himself.

"[Because he's only 21] there's still the capacity for change."

'Persistent, predatory and exploitative paedophile': Judge sums up

Addressing Horsburgh, the judge His Honour Judge Horton said: "You're only now still 21 years of age and you have already shown overwhelmingly that you're a persistent, predatory and exploitative paedophile who uses social media as a weapon against children.

"And you resisted any steps that society has taken to curb your offending which has included putting you on a course with a view to allowing you to gain information [and] develop strategies for yourself to avoid committing offences.

"In 2013 as a juvenile you were warned for an offence of exposure.

"In 2014 ... you were cautioned for three offences in relation to inciting children under 13 years of age to engage in sexual activity.

"In 2015 arising out of some extremely serious and dangerous circumstances, a standalone application was made which led to a sexual harm prevention order being made against you at Bristol Magistrates' Court.

"You then appeared in June 2018 for two breaches of that order in relation to your use of computer equipment.

"You were being monitored. You were placed in accommodation which was aimed ... to support and to watch that you were behaving properly.

"On April 9 you used your skill with determination and sophistication I liken with those who use social media as a weapon against children to create a false web of information and to gain access to websites which are created for children but which have become a magnet for paedophiles like you."

Judge Horton said his "conversation from the very outset was a squalid sexual description of what you were seeking" from "a man you assumed to be the father of a nine-year-old daughter who was going to allow you to commit a series of offences".

"You discussed and arranged meticulously with him what you were going to do and where you were going to do it," the judge said.

He added: "It's my consideration ... that you were seeking to have conversation on Chat Hour and Kids' Chat, seeking to have conversations with kids between the ages of 6-14 which were sexual [conversations].

"You have admitted that you are sexually attracted to young girls but it's clear [you are attracted to] young boys as well.

"You had to previously be removed from a home due to your sexual behaviour to two young children in that household."

The judge said the abuse Horsburgh received as a child led to his sexual interest in children.

He continued: "Analysis by the probation services confirmed my preliminary description of your behaviour which has really commenced in a young age and continued and persisted no matter what help has been provided.

"There's every single suggestion that you're deeply engaged and determined as a paedophile who will have to be watched at all times."

The judge said the offences involved "significant planning", acting with another person to commission them, the perceived age of the victim (nine) and that Horsburgh lied about his own age.

He said the defendant's previous record and his failure to comply with an existing sexual harm prevention order were aggravating factors.

"You're still only 21.

"It's important to respect that you have not only pleaded guilty at the first instance but that you have admitted the offences when they have been put to you.

"And wherever you have been interviewed about these matters you have been prepared to discuss them.

"It's no doubt for that reason that rather than being formally prosecuted as you could have been the court administered cautions ... believing that assisting you would result in these matters ceasing.

"That has not been the case."

Judge passes sentence

Horsburgh was given a total of four years and three months in jail for the two crimes.

The judge told him: "You will serve half of that sentence before you're released.

"You will then be on licence for the remainder of that term."

The conditions of his release on licence will be that he attends specific courses and stays at certain addresses.

The judge continued: "Because of these offences you will be placed on a barring list preventing you from ever working with the young, vulnerable or elderly.

"You will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

"When you're released you will be required to notify the local policy where you are."

He was also ordered to pay a 170 surcharge.