Latest Offenders Somerset

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.

Description

A man from Somerset has been jailed after three sexual assaults across the county.

Mark John Butcher, 36, attacked the women within the space of three months.

The man from Evercreech will face four years and seven months after committing the assaults on women in Street and Shepton Mallet.

He previously admitted three counts of sexual assault and was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court today (Friday, March 12).

After he is released from prison, hell be on licence for a further three years and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

One of the victims was grabbed by Butcher while out jogging. She was pulled to the ground but managed to fight him off and hide in a field.

At todays hearing, Judge Cook said Butcher committed serious offences which showed an escalation in violence. He said the offending was planned as Butcher lay in wait for his victims.

In the first incident on Tuesday 5 June, Butcher attacked a 24-year-old woman in Street. He pushed her against a wall and sexually assaulted her but ran off after she shouted out for him to stop.

The victim was able to give officers a detailed description including the fact the offender was wearing brightly coloured construction trousers.

From CCTV footage officers identified a man matching this description close to the scene of the incident and an image was circulated as part of a public appeal.

The second incident happened just over a month later on Thursday 19 July.

An 18-year-old woman was attacked shortly after leaving a supermarket. During the attack, Butcher grabbed the victim around the throat and pulled her backwards. She managed to force him off and run home where her mother contacted the police.

The third incident happened in Shepton Mallet, at about 7pm on Friday 31 August.

A 20-year-old woman was out jogging when she was grabbed around the throat and pulled to the ground. She fought back and managed to release Butchers grip.

As she tried to run off, he attempted to rugby-tackle her to the ground but she kicked him again and escaped.

At the end of the lane, she spotted a Peugeot car with an S prefix on the registration details of which she gave the police when she reported the incident.

In a statement given to the court, the victim described how the incident had left her paranoid and had affected her emotionally.

It read: I have started to go running again but I have changed my route and how far I run. I am very paranoid about seeing anyone, especially a man. The few days after the incident, I couldnt sleep as it was troubling me and I couldnt process what happened.

I have not wanted people to know it was me who had been assaulted. I have heard people talk about it but I cant say it was me. Ive only been able to tell my close family and friends.

How was Mark Butcher caught?

Investigating officer DC Catherine King said: As part of our enquiries we attended several local businesses to show people the public appeal and CCTV image from the first incident.

At one of the businesses a local quarry two members of staff identified the man in the image as an employee. Mark Butcher, who worked as an HGV driver, was arrested the same day.

A the time of his arrest he was wearing a black polo shirt identical to one in the CCTV image, so this was seized along with other clothing, including pairs of high vis trousers and a baseball cap. We also noticed a blue Peugeot on the driveway matching the description given by one of the victims.

A DNA sample was taken from Butcher and tests found he was a potential contributor of DNA found on the clothing of two of the victims. He was identified by the third victim in an ID procedure.

All this helped to build a compelling case against him and resulted in him admitting the offences at court.

This was a very frightening series of crimes on women in public places. Stranger attacks like this are rare but when they do happen, it understandably causes great concern.

Im pleased Butcher has now been brought to justice and will no longer be able to carry out indiscriminate attacks on innocent people.

Id also like to recognise the immense courage shown by all three of the victims. Theyve all been through a terrifying ordeal and I hope they can move forward with their lives in the knowledge their attacker is now behind bars.

Description

A Somerset man has been jailed for 23 months after pleading guilty to making indecent photographs of a child.

Edward Brooks, 52, from Minehead, appeared at Taunton Crown Court on Monday (April 1).

He was sentenced to just under two years in prison after admitting to two counts of making indecent photographs of a child - four months for each count to run consecutively and concurrently, and a further 19 months for breaching a suspended sentence order.

He was also told he would be added to the sex offenders register for a minimum of 10 years, handed a victim surcharge of 140 and told that all the images in his possession would be destroyed.

He was found not guilty of possessing indecent or pseudo-photographs of a child.

Commenting on the verdict, children's charity NSPCC said more needed to be done to tackle the sharing of child abuse images.

A spokesman said: Behind Edward Brookss sickening collection of images and videos are countless children that will have suffered harrowing, traumatic and life changing abuse.

"He has rightly been sent to prison from where he must be made to undertake an intensive programme of rehabilitation.

The scale of Brooks offending also highlights how big this twisted industry has become and the necessity for the authorities and the tech companies to work in unison to disrupt and ultimately destroy the networks that make and share this terrible content.

Description

Paul Burchill jailed after admitting vile abuse of children as well as raping a woman

A chicken coop cleaner confronted with historical allegations of child abuse told police 'I was an animal, I'm guilty as hell'.

Paul Burchill admitted subjecting two youngsters to a catalogue of vile sexual assaults, as well as raping a young woman.

The 65-year-old, of Tickenham Road in Clevedon pleaded guilty to four indecent assaults and attempted rape of one girl aged under 15.

He also admitted five indecent assault charges relating to a second child under 13 and raping a woman.

Judge James Patrick jailed him for 13 years.

He told Burchill: "You are 65 and have not been in trouble before.

"This will be your first prison sentence.

"Your remorse is said to be genuine."

Burchill was barred from working from children and vulnerable adults. He was told to register as a sex offender for life.

'It felt horrible and disgusting'

Mark Worsley, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court Burchill abused the first complainant and, when she complained, called her a "miserable s**g".

The court heard the victim had since suffered night terrors and is unable to trust anyone.

Burchill abused the second girl and made her perform sex acts on him, the court heard.

She made an impact statement in which she said: "It felt horrible and disgusting."

Mr Maunder said an earlier attempt to prosecute Burchill for raping the young woman was not proceeded with.

When the allegations were later reported Burchill told police: "I was an animal, I'm guilty as hell."

He admitted abusing his victims and, regarding the rape, said he was half-drunk and: "The animal inside me came out."

David Maunder, defending, told the court: "He has always accepted his guilt in principle.

"He has been at pains to avoid a trial, genuinely for the victims.

"He is anxious that he did not want them to go through the process.

"He said 'they have been put through enough already'.

"He understands he has seriously damaged their lives, irrepairably."

Mr Maunder said his client was at a complete loss to explain why he was capable of committing the offences.

He said: "He doesn't recognise himself in them."

Description

A 77-year-old man has been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of a number of historic child sex offences.

Sidney John Jenkins, of Woolavington, abused his vulnerable victims on his boats and the clubhouse of the sailing club he belonged to in the Bridgwater area.

He also committed offences at a caravan he kept in Cannington and at one of his victims homes.

Following a trial at Taunton Crown Court he was convicted of 12 child rapes, three sexual assaults and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was sentenced today (Friday, 25 January) at Bristol Crown Court.

The court heard he would often convince one of his victims to stand and watch while he would abuse the other and would pay them with cash, tobacco, drugs and alcohol.

Investigating officer PC Becky Norton said: Jenkins systematically groomed his victims over a number of years, bribing them to allow him to abuse them with incentives.

Both victims have suffered significant physical and emotional trauma as a result of his offending and it will no doubt continue to have a lasting effect on their lives.

Id like to commend both of them for the determination and dignity theyve shown throughout the police investigation and court proceedings and I hope this outcome will encourage other victims of rape and sexual assault to have confidence in reporting offences to us, no matter how long ago the crimes occurred.

Id also like to thank the witnesses who gave evidence in court for their support their assistance undoubtedly helped us achieve justice for both his victims.

Description

A TAUNTON man supplied four teenage girls with drugs before sexually exploiting them, a court has heard.

Austin Stuart Taylor, 21, has been jailed for nine years after being found guilty of multiple child sex offences at addresses in Minehead, Taunton and Wellington.

He was convicted of 15 offences against his victims, who were aged 13 to 17, between 2015 and 2017.

Stuart-Taylor admitted two counts of supplying Class A drugs and one of supplying a Class B drug at the start of his trial at Bristol Crown Court.

The jury found him guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child; one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; three of possessing indecent images of children; one of offering to supply a Class A drug; three of offering to supply a Class B drug; and one of permitting a premises to be used for smoking cannabis. He had denied those 12 charges.

In addition to his jail sentence, he was also given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a 10-year restraining order against his victims. He will be on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

The court heard neighbours would often see girls in school uniform arriving at the properties occupied by Stuart-Taylor, who provided them with drugs such as cannabis, ketamine and MDMA.

The jury was told sexual images and moving video footage of children as young as three-years-old were found on Stuart-Taylors computer.

An examination of his phone also found a substantial number of photos of his genitalia, some of which were sent to his victims in an effort to groom them. He also repeatedly asked his victims to take indecent pictures of themselves and send them to him.

Investigating officer Det Sgt Phillip Clarke said: "Austin Stuart-Taylor is a manipulative individual who plied young girls with drugs in order to gain influence over them and abuse them.

"Its clear he has a disturbing interest in young girls from the images found on his electronic devices.

"His actions were deliberate and calculated and there is absolutely no doubt he knew how old his victims were when he engaged in sexual activity with them.

"Together with Barnardo's Against Sexual Exploitation (BASE), support has been provided to all the girls through what has been a lengthy criminal justice process and I hope now that Stuart-Taylor has been handed a substantial prison term they can move on with their lives."

At today's hearing, the judge awarded commendations to DS Clarke, DC Paul Moares and investigations support officer Alan Chambers for their work on this investigation. The judge also awarded a commendation to Kate Chisnall from BASE.

Since June last year, police have introduced a partnership approach to tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Somerset which sees agencies share intelligence to investigative reports, catch offenders and support victims.

Operation Topaz, which was initially launched as pilot in Bristol in January 2017, allows officers to identify offending at an earlier stage.

Force lead for (CSE) Detective Chief Inspector Liz Hughes said: "With the introduction of Operation Topaz in Somerset we are now better equipped than ever to protect children and young people from sexual exploitation.

"The unique approach of Topaz allows us to identify offences early and, at times, offending which may not have ever come light at all. The partnership working also increases our ability to build relationships with those affected by abuse and provide them with support.

"By working together and sharing information we can help inform, educate and prevent this form of child sexual abuse from happening. But we and our partners can only do so much though and we still need the publics help.

Description

An assistant school principal who filmed himself raping a blindfolded girl has been jailed for 11 years.

Chemistry teacher Jonathan Rowe, 49, abused the girl when she was aged eight to 10.

The former Eggbuckland Community College teacher admitted a series of sexual offences including three rapes.

Sentencing him at Exeter Crown Court on Friday, Judge David Evans said Rowe had lived a "double life" and described his actions as "depraved".

The court heard Rowe raped the girl while she was asleep and transferred footage of his attacks on to his school laptop.

He was caught after the girl told her mother Rowe had blindfolded her while asking her to pose for pictures.

Investigations revealed the mother of a six-year-old girl had previously warned Rowe about his behaviour after finding him playing with her half-naked daughter in a beach rock pool.

Officers also found a video of a 13-year-old girl on a trampoline in which he had focused on her breasts.

'Appalling actions'

Rowe, of Higher Dean, Buckfastleigh, also admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child, five of taking indecent images of his victims, and three of making indecent images by downloading them from the internet.

Judge Evans said: "You clearly have a sexual interest in children. Sadly, you translated that sexual interest into the actual abuse of this girl."

Rowe was given a one-year extended licence, ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and banned from going within 50m of any school or taking photographs or videos of children.

Will Willden, defending, said Rowe regretted what he had done and appreciated the damage caused to others.

A spokeswoman for the NSPCC said Rowe had "preyed knowingly on a vulnerable young girl to fulfil his depraved sexual fantasies".

She added: "His appalling actions have betrayed the trust placed in him and it's vital his victim receives the right support to recover from what has happened."

Description

A man has been convicted of indecently assaulting children as young as five years old.

Martin Coulson, 70, was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault at Portsmouth Crown Court last week (September 26) for a series of offences which spanned three decades.

Coulson, of Highbury Road, Weston-super-Mare, was found not guilty of one other count.

The offences took place at Gosport, Hampshire, on a number of occasions during the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

The ages of the victims ranged from five to 13 years old.

Coulson had denied all the charges.

He will now serve three years in prison and an extended licence period of one year.

Coulson strong links to the Bath area, previously acting as chairman of the Combe Down Heritage Society and taking part in several public campaigns.

He has since vacated the chairmanship, a spokesman for the society confirmed.

The spokesman said: “We’re looking for another chairman.

“Martin resigned on October 2, with no reason given.

“He was an extremely active and creative chairman.

“We’ll struggle to replace him with someone with the same sort of drive.”

Coulson participated in numerous activities as chairman including local lectures, historical projects and consultation schemes.

Coulson was also an OBE, having received the recognition in 1995 while serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army.

Description

A paedophile hunting group has released messages a former school worker sent to one of their decoys, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Daniel Marks, 24, from Eliotts Drive in Yeovil, was branded a paedophile by a judge - who spared him jail so he could get treatment for his 'sick and distorted' thoughts.

Marks served as the parish councillor for the Brimsmore ward of Yeovil Without Parish Council between 2014 and 2015, representing the Labour party, and had worked at a school for six months until his arrest in July 2017.

The school he had been working at was not identified during the hearing.

He had previously admitted a charge of sexual communication with a child and was handed a three year community order by Judge David Ticehurst on Thursday (March 22)

He will have to carry out up to 20 days of rehabilitation activities including completing a programme designed to help sex offenders.

He will have to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, pay 400 costs and was made to sign the Sex Offenders Register, as well as being made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Prosecuting, Virginia Cornwall said the sting had been carried out by the group Guardians of the North, who had been operating in an online chatroom.

"At the start, the girl said that she was 13 years old," she said. "The conversation started out flirtatiously, but soon became sexual and serious."

His defence barrister, Rebecca Bradberry, told the court the conviction was a matter of "bitter regret" and that he had began talking to the decoy following the break-down of his long-term relationship.

Sentencing, Judge Ticehurst told him: "You told the probation service that you didn't know if you were attracted to children or not. Let me answer that question for you: You are.

"You pretend otherwise because you want to hide the truth. But the reason you were on that website talking to what you thought was a 13-year-old girl was because you wanted to be.

"You wanted to be sexually involved with a 13-year-old. That makes you a paedophile."

He said it was particularly worrying that Marks had been employed by a school at the time of his arrest.

"You chose employment that meant you were close to children," he said.

The judge explained that he could only sentence Marks to a short period in prison if he chose to jail him, and there was more chance of him being rehabilitated with a community order.

A spokesperson for the online group who handed over the conversations to the police said they felt the sentence was disappointing.

"It's a poor sentence," they said. "But now at least people know his dark secrets."

Following the sentence, they released a series of disturbing messages that Marks had sent their decoy.

In the messages he describes carrying out intimate acts with her and invites her to call him.

Following his conviction, a spokesman for the Labour party said: "Daniel Marks is no longer a member of the Labour Party.

"A member who has been convicted of a serious crime is ineligible for Labour Party membership."

Description

A FORMER teacher at a Hampshire school has been jailed for 12 years for child sex offences.

Ian Atkinson taught at St Neots Preparatory School, in Eversley, Hook, and was jailed on Wednesday (January 10) after being found guilty of nine offences following a six-day trial at Bradford Crown Court.

The offences include six charges of indecent assault on a boy, one charge of inciting a boy to commit an act of gross indecency with him, and two of making (downloading) indecent images of children.

Four of the offences took place in Hampshire. The contact offences occurred in the 1990s and 2000s and the indecent images were discovered in 2015 when officers seized the 59 year old’s laptop following his arrest.

Atkinson, of Brompton on Regis, Somerset was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and issued with a sexual harm prevention order.

Following sentencing, investigating officer, Detective Constable Fiona Ayre of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Appallingly, Atkinson used his position of trust to abuse young boys for his own sexual gratification and the sentence reflects the serious and protracted nature of his offending.

“I praise the victims for having the courage to relive their ordeals in court and I hope the outcome can help them to move forward.

“I would reassure any victim of such offences that if they should not hesitate in coming forward to the police. It doesn’t matter when the abuse happened, whether it’s happening now or occurred 50 years ago.

"Even if it is not possible to put an offender before the courts, it’s important that you are offered the support and advice that is available. Your information could also help to protect other victims and help the police form a wider picture of offending.

“We appreciate that telling the police what has happened takes courage. It is not easy reliving such distressing situations. We understand this and have specially trained officers who will guide you through the process as well as signposting you to other agencies who can help you.

“Child sexual abuse is a foremost priority for the police and all reports will be fully investigated. Please do not suffer alone, if you have been abused, please report it.”

An NSPCC spokesperson added: “This was every parent’s worst nightmare; an awful betrayal of trust in which Atkinson used his position to abuse his young victims for his own twisted gratification.

“The vulnerable boys this sick predator claimed to be helping have had their childhoods ruined and abuse such as this can last a lifetime in its horrifying impact.

“We hope all Atkinson’s victims receive the support they need to overcome their awful childhood ordeals in settings that should have been safe and secure havens.”

Description

A man found guilty of a string of rapes, attempted rape and serious sexual assaults on three young girls has been jailed by for 13 years today by a judge who branded him 'thoroughly evil'.

Mark Raymond Hoddinott, 51, of Portland Place, Frome was found guilty of raping and attempting to rape a girl under the age of 13 and sexually assaulted a girl under 13, involving penetration, at Frome.

He was also found guilty of five counts of intentionally touching a girl under 13, and that touching was sexual, also at Frome.

The jury also found him guilty of being a person aged 18 or over and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, he intentionally caused a child under 13 to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity.

All the of the offences had taken place on various dates at Frome between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2011 and his youngest victim was under the age of six.

Sentencing him to a total of 13 years behind bars, Recorder Paul Garlick QC, sitting at Taunton Crown Court, told him the jury had found him guilty of the 'most serious sexual offences against highly vulnerable victims'.

He slammed Hoddinott for forcing his victims to come to court and give evidence against him, forcing them to relive their ordeals at his hands.

"I absolutely satisfied that your sexual abuse has had a serious and permanent effect on their lives from which they may never recover," he said.

"You have shown no remorse. You planned a long-running campaign of abuse against three victims."

Hoddinott was sentenced to 11 years for rape, four years for each charge of sexual assault, 18 months for gross indecency, 13 years for attempted rape, seven years for assault by penetration, five years for two counts of sexual assault against a child and two years for causing a child to look at sexual activity.

Recorder Garlick said the total of the sentences added up to 'decades' in jail and that each offence was 'individually heinous'.

"This was thoroughly evil conduct," he told him.

But he added that given Hoddinott's age and the fact that he would not be released on licence half-way through his sentence, the sentences would all run concurrently.

He was sentenced to 13 years in prison, and will be on the sex offender's register for life.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, and his victims were given a restraining order preventing him from contacting them.

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A ROLLERCOASTER enthusiast who used an online theme parks forum to groom children was finally stopped in his tracks by a "paedo hunter".

Andrew Sealey, 39, Milborne Port, Somerset, was today jailed for three years and four months after being caught in a sting.

Sealey pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court to eight charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and one of attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming.

He was arrested after he was caught by Shane Brannigan at Hampshire theme park Paultons Park, which incorporates Peppa Pig World, where he had arranged to meet a 15-year-old "girl" for sex in a toilet cubicle.

The group behind the sting are known as 'Not Of Criminal Element', which is run by a man called Shane Brannigan, who confronted him in the car park on May 28 this year.

As well as the prison sentence, Judge Peter Henry also made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order and ordered the destruction of his mobile phone and laptop.

But he went on to say that relying on self-styled paedophile hunters for criminal prosecutions is "fraught with danger" as he jailed the married pervert who sent sordid sexual texts to three kids he thought were 14-year-olds.

The judge said: "I have concerns about these types of stings.

"On the one hand I can fully understand the obvious concerns of the public and people who may therefore have been abused.

"On the other hand, to rely upon this activity of self-styled paedo hunters as a base for criminal prosecutions is fraught with dangers.

"In particular, there is a thin line between someone being entrapped or evidence not being admissible for some reason and a legitimate inquiry."

The court heard that Sealey's behaviour had raised concerns with an adult man, Gary Rogers Brennan, with whom he had been in contact with through the theme park forum.

After Sealey began chatting about performing sex acts, Mr Rogers Brennan set up a fake profile of a 15-year-old boy he called James.

Sealey began sexualised conversations with this fake profile and tried to arrange for the "boy" to meet him at Aldershot Football Club where the defendant worked as a steward but the meeting did not happen.

I have concerns about these types of stings.

Judge Peter Henry

As Mr Rogers Brennan became increasingly concerned, he contacted self-styled "paedo hunter" Shane Brannigan, and created further profiles in the names of Alice and Jilly, who were aged about 14 or 15.

During the chats through Facebook Messenger, Sealey would encourage the youngsters to perform sex acts and he sent them pictures of his penis.

Simon Edwards, prosecuting, said: "The defendant ran an internet forum on theme parks and it was through that forum he had the ability to chat with people of both genders and all ages and that was the initial point of contact."

During his chat with Jilly, the "girl" that he arranged to meet at Paultons Park, Sealey said to her: "I said it's OK you being a virgin and 15, I don't mind."

There was never any risk to children at Paultons Park.

Rob GriffithsDefence lawyer

It was at the theme park entrance that Mr Brannigan confronted Sealey, who had attended with his wife, and he was arrested by police.

Rob Griffiths, defending, said Sealey, who had no previous convictions, was "highly over-sexed" but added: "There was never any risk to children at Paultons Park.

"There was never any risk to any child because no child turned up or could have turned up."

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A gang of paedophiles that included a 33-year-old Somerset manhave been branded "beyond human instinct and evil" by a judge.

The men preyed on the families of youngsters to gain access to them and, in one case, groomed a mother and father before their baby was born.

The men raped babies, toddlers and pre-school children and streamed the abuse over the internet to other sex abusers across the world.

Members travelled hundreds of miles to carry out sickening attacks together or used internet streaming to provide real-time encouragement and directions to those abusing victims.

The seven - aged between 31 and 51 and including three convicted sex offenders - were convicted of 29 child sex abuse offences, including conspiracy to rape and the multiple rape of a child aged under 13.

They are John Denham, 50, from Wiltshire, Matthew Stansfield, 35, from Hampshire, Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset, Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester, Robin Hollyson, 31, from Bedfordshire, David Harsley, 51, from Yorkshire, and Matthew Lisk, 33, from Sussex.

Passing sentence at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Julian Lambert said: "In the worst nightmare, from the very deepest recesses of the mind, at the darkest hour of the night, few can have imagined the terrifying depravity which you men admit.

"What you contemplated and what you did involved the most horrific abuse of a baby and very young children.

"Your thoughts and deeds are beyond human instinct and reason, and are evil beyond rational understanding.

"You men indulged yourselves in some of the most depraved and grossly deviant behaviour imaginable. The depth to which you sank is astounding and highly shocking to all decent people.

"What you did is contrary to all nature and humanity and you each appear to have a chilling tendency to centre the world on yourselves and your depraved desires without regard for the innocent and vulnerable.

"Your conduct is of deep concern to the public and people are outraged at what you have done. What you did provokes tears in many and makes others feel physically sick.

"Given the strength of public feeling I consider that retribution has a very large part to play in the sentencing exercise. This is no case for treatment and rehabilitation outside prison."

The judge continued: "You each made choices. Those choices have proved catastrophic for you personally but that is of slight concern when compared with the devastating impact of your actions on the victims and their families.

"The material you viewed and the urges you excited in each other were matters of choice for you. You sought out the darkest materials on the internet and met in cyberspace to discuss your perverted sexual desires.

"You then planned the most shockingly sordid exploitation of the very young for sexual purposes. Targeting innocent children in that way is utterly abhorrent and is bound to receive condign punishment.

"The degraded and deplorable state into which you have rendered yourselves is pitiful but there is no room for mercy here.

"All sympathy and compassion must be extended to the victims of crime and their families, and not you."

Hollyson received a 24-year prison sentence plus an extension of eight years on licence while Toms was jailed for 12 years plus an extension of four years on licence.

Knight was jailed for 18 years plus an extension of six years on licence and Stansfield received a 10-year prison sentence plus an extension of four years on licence.

Denham was jailed for eight years plus an extension of four years on licence.

Lisk was jailed for four years plus an extension of three years on licence and Harsley was jailed for two years They were all placed on the sex offenders' register for life, except for Harsley whose length is still to be determined by the judge.

Online chat logs revealed the gang, who lived across the UK, would offer advice on using "date rape" drugs or over-the-counter medication to drowse children and babies.

Known victims of the men include one baby, aged between three and seven months at the time of the abuse, a four-year-old boy and a boy aged between four and five.

In July 2013, Harsley performed a sexual act near a four-year-old boy, while Denham and Lisk watched through a video link to a hotel room at Heathrow Airport.

Hollyson claimed to have repeatedly raped a baby from the age of three months and filmed himself doing so between December 2013 and January 2014. Later that month, Hollyson, Knight and Denham planned to meet to sexually abuse the boy but could not do so as Hollyson was in hospital.

Hollyson, Knight and Stansfield met in February 2014 though it is not clear what happened.

In May 2014, Hollyson, Stansfield and Toms met up to rape and sexually assault the baby, with the incident filmed and shared.

A video from July 2014 shows Hollyson abusing the baby, while logs reveal Hollyson and Stansfield conspired to rape him in July and August 2014.

Hollyson was arrested in September 2014, ending the baby's abuse. Investigators uncovered images of the baby being abused.

In April 2014, Toms administered drugs to a four-year-old boy to allow him and Knight to abuse him. Photographs of this were shared online. The attacks were carefully planned, with defendants driving hundreds of miles to commit their crimes.

The National Crime Agency uncovered the abuse last September after Toms contacted police to admit he had abused a child. Mr Davies said the impact on the victims and their families was "profound and long lasting".

One of the victim's families added: "We would like to thank police, the National Crime Agency and all the other law enforcement agencies involved for their support and handling of what has been a very traumatic and distressing experience for us.

"No family ever wants to find that their child has been the victim of abuse, nor would they ever knowingly put their child at risk.

"As a family we now need to mend - seeing the perpetrators being brought to justice is the first step."

Description

A "dangerous and predatory paedophile" has been jailed for 18 years for committing a series of historical sexual offences against children.

John Toms, 65, of Oldford, Frome, was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court after admitting 22 charges including rape, gross indecency and indecent assault.

He was arrested in July after a member of the public saw him trying to take photos of a girl near him on a bus.

The charges relate to incidents against four children in the 1980s and 1990s.

During a subsequent search of his house, officers found indecent images of children on his computer.

Det Con Jon Hooper said the victims were all from the east Somerset area and were around six-years-old when the abuse started.

"John Toms admitted during police interviews that he was sexually attracted to young children and was in possession of indecent images," he added.

"Toms is clearly a dangerous and predatory paedophile and we believe there may be more victims who have not yet been located.

"The judge said Toms had "an extreme and perverted interest in young girls" and said he had "caused untold damage to his victims".