Latest Offenders Somerset

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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."

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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.”

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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".

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A former teacher and rugby coach at a Somerset school has been jailed for 10 years for child abuse.

Keith Ruby, 36, of Biddisham Lane, Axbridge, was convicted at Taunton Crown Court of 16 counts of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy.

During sentencing, Judge Graham Hume Jones, said: "You abused the trust of a young boy and the trust of his parents, and you brought shame on them."

The school has said all the necessary safeguarding checks were made on Ruby.

The judge said Ruby was regarded as an "ardent and enthusiastic" sports coach who encouraged the boy in his favourite sport.

He said: "But you did this to indulge your sexual interests with this boy. In his evidence, the boy used the phrase "hero worship" to describe his relationship with you.

"Having gained his trust you then gained the trust of his parents."

The court heard the boy's family was "duped" by Ruby who entrusted their son into his care outside school for rugby matches and an overseas trip.

'Completely distraught'

He said: "It is not hard to imagine how this boy's family feel after being duped by you.

"He worshipped and trusted you, and lied to the police to save your skin.

"Even then you met him again and abused him."

A spokesman from the school has said: "Our safeguarding procedures, both now and at the time of these incidents, are completely compliant and all necessary checks on the suitability of Keith Ruby to work with children were carried out by the school.

"However, unfortunately no vetting system can guarantee that every paedophile is identified."

Ruby will be placed on the sex offender's register for life and will never work with children again.

Det Ch Insp Richard Kelvey, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: "Keith Ruby is a manipulative man who insinuated himself into the lives of this victim and his family.

"He regularly sat at their dinner table and was welcomed into their lives as a trusted friend, teacher and coach to their son.

"His betrayal and abuse has left them completely distraught."

Mr Kelvey added that it took several years before the victim felt able to disclose the abuse he had suffered.

Description

A Taunton sex offender is back behind bars after being found with a 13-year-old boy - just three days after being released from prison.

Police arrested 44-year-old Graham Brown (pictured) on January 28, after finding him with a boy in a pub in Taunton.

When Brown was released from Exeter Prison on January 25, having served a five-year sentence for breaching a Sexual Offender Prevention Order, police placed a series of restrictions to stop him associating with children, and kept a close watch on him.

A police spokesman said: Mr Brown has been the subject of detailed discussions under the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements, with partner agencies including police, the probation service, local authorities and prison service involved.

Brown's history was such that there were serious concerns among the MAPPA partners that he might present a considerable risk to the community.

The Crown Prosecution Service told the County Gazette that Brown had an extensive list of previous convictions, including 14 sexual offences between 1981 and 2005, most of them involving indecent exposure or gross indecency.

Chief Superintendent Daimon Tilley said: "We put into place a number of arrangements in time for Mr Brown's release, in order to minimise the risk to other people.

"It was as a result of some excellent police and probation work that Mr Brown was arrested and put back before the courts."

At Taunton Crown Court on Friday, Brown was jailed for 32 months for breaching his SOPO by being in contact with the child.