Search results for Torquay

Description

A child sex offender has been sentenced to 18 years in prison plus a further six years on extended licence after pleading guilty to 17 charges including rape.

Edward Howard, 34, of Warren Road, Torquay, appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentence on Thursday 22 October, after pleading guilty at a hearing on Thursday 20 August.

Of the 17 charges, four were against the same victim - rape of a girl under 13, two counts of attempted assault by penetration of girl under 13, making an indecent photograph of a child.

He also pleaded guilty to:

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category A

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category B

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category C

Three counts of distributing an indecent image of a child, one for Category A, one for Category B and one for Category C.

Possession of extreme pornography.

Three counts of sexual communication with a child.

Howard was first arrested in December 2025 when information was received that he had uploaded indecent images of children to the internet.

Further examination of his mobile phone revealed a large quantity of indecent images of children of each category.

Evidence was located on the device of sexual communications with three children.

It also contained images that he had taken himself of one victim.

The victim later disclosed that he had sexually assaulted her on more than one occasion.

Following the sentencing, officer in the case Detective Constable Ryan McGregor said:

“This was a complex and disturbing investigation led by the Devon and Cornwall Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

“It showcases the importance of building a strong case through tenacious work and providing as much evidence as possible to leave the offender little alternative other than to plead guilty.

“We would like to commend the incredible courage and strength of the victim in speaking out. She has been supported by her family and specially trained officers throughout and I do not underestimate the impact this has had on her. We hope this outcome will offer some comfort to the victim and her family.

“We welcome today’s sentence. We will never stop investigating such offences to safeguard children and protect the public from those who seek to hurt children. For those tempted to engage in this type of behaviour, our message is simple: we are watching you, you will be caught, and you can expect a knock at the door from us very soon.

“We also hope this sentence will provide reassurance to other victims of sexual offending to help give them the confidence to report to us. No matter who is involved or when it happened, we will do whatever is in our power to bring offenders to justice, protect and support survivors, and enable the truth to be uncovered about these terrible crimes.”

Description

A Torquay man fired an air gun after losing his temper with a group of noisy men outside his house. Mike McCabe hit one man on the arm, a court heard.

He was already under police investigation for downloading child sex abuse images from the internet and sharing them with other paedophiles on Kik Messenger. The 39-year-old of Upton Road appeared at Exeter Crown Court to be sentenced for the separate crimes.

He said he was very sorry and just wanted to get on with his life. But the judge jailed him for two years and eight months.

The judge said the most serious offence in the eyes of the court involved the discharge of the air rifle. It happened in June of last year when McCabe yelled at a group of men near the coach station to turn the music down.

They heard shots and the defendant appeared armed with a BB gun, said prosecutor Zoe Kuyken. He fired towards the group and hit a man on the elbow causing a small mark.

Police arrested him and McCabe said he had drunk four pints and been smoking cannabis. He said he had only wanted to scare the group.

The defendant admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three offences of downloading indecent images, distributing images and also possession of prohibited images.

In November 2023 police received intelligence from the National Crime Agency of suspicious activity linked to the defendant's IP address. The seized McCabe's phone and found almost 500 indecent images of children on his phone, 184 extreme images and five prohibited images.

A total of 346 images were in the most serious category of abuse and further analysis revealed 73 had been distributed on Kik. McCabe told police he was under the influence of drink and cocaine.

Martin Salloway, defending, said McCabe was "alone drunk and lonely" at the time and spending too long on the internet. He distributed the images to like-minded people and was extremely remorseful. "He is keen to get on with his life," said Mr Salloway.

Recorder Simon Levene said McCabe could have had the victim's eye out by firing the air rifle. He ordered McCabe be subject to a sexual harm prevention order as part of the sentence.

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A Torquay man has been jailed for a total of 17 years plus one on extended licence for raping a child and other sexual offences.

Michael Dickinson, 67, of Abbey Road, Torquay, will also have to sign on to the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and was given a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Dickinson pleaded to guilty to two charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and was convicted of two charges of rape of a child under 13 following a trial in December. He was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday 13 February.

Detective Constable James Kelly, who led the investigation said:

 “The sentenced passed by the judge today is to be welcomed.

“Praise is due to the young victim for the bravery they have shown in reporting this to us and for remaining engaged with the investigation and prosecution of this case, all the way through to its conclusion. Also, for her family who have undoubtedly helped and supported her through this process.

“Devon & Cornwall Police is clear in its approach to reports of this nature – we will listen, and you will be heard.

“We will always actively investigate any such crime and seek to bring those responsible to justice for the victims, who we would urge to come forward and report offences to us.”

Description

A Torquay man has been jailed for 19 years plus three years to be served on extended licence after being convicted by a jury of a catalogue of non-recent sexual offences committed against a young girl.

Christopher De Burton, 67, of Thurlow Road, Torquay, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Friday 24 January after being convicted at trial of indecency with a child, three rapes of a child under 13, eight sexual assaults of a child under 13 and twice causing a child to watch a sexual act.

De Burton is an existing sex offender after previously being convicted of offences against two other victims.

During the trial, the court heard how De Burton raped and abused the girl on a number of occasions from a young age, at a variety of locations across Devon. De Burton also showed the girl and her friend pornography.

The abuse finally stopped when the victim was 12.

De Burton denied all the allegations against him, saying they were made up, but a jury dismissed his version of events.

Officers in the case, Detective Sergeant John Friskey said: “Christopher De Burton is a dangerous sexual offender who has now been convicted of the rape and sexual abuse of another young girl.

“I would like to thank the victims in this case for their immense strength and courage and helping to ensure that De Burton is now serving another sentence behind bars.

“We will continue to thoroughly investigate all sexual offences reported to us, regardless of when the abuse took place.”

Description

A Torquay paedophile has been jailed for making indecent images of children and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Jason Black, 51, has a history of similar offending and was subject to a range of court orders and monitoring measures when he committed his latest crimes.

He ignored restrictions banning him from the internet and was caught after downloading vile images of children being abused. The 51-year-old has been jailed for three years after admitting multiple offences at Exeter Crown Court.

Prosecutor Ms Kelly Scrivener said police arrested Black in February after his email was linked to suspicious activity on a child-based image-sharing platform. Police were worried he was once again accessing indecent images.

When they searched his address they found he had been using a computer in breach of his SHPO and had downloaded some pictures.

He was released but when police searched his address a second time they found more evidence he had been using the internet on devices he should not have even been in possession of.

A further police warrant was executed in August and further memory cards and SIM cards were found. In total, Black had 16 devices capable of accessing the internet and storing images, said the prosecutor. This put him in breach of his SHPO.

Ms Scrivener said: "It was a concerted and repeated attempt to evade the prohibitions of his SHPO over the course of eight months."

Black has previously served time in jail for similar offending dating back to 2017, the court heard.

Ms Rachel Smith, defending, said he had shown some insight into the harm caused by his behaviour and that he was sorry. She said he is not in the best of health and is unfit to work.

Judge David Evans said his offending might be the product of social isolation. Black will serve half his sentence in prison and the rest on licence.

Description

A SNEAKY sex offender has been jailed after he acquired a secret phone and computer and hid them away in a padlocked toolbox.

Mark Jarrett has a history of spying on boys in public toilets or playgrounds and was subject of an order which meant he had to tell the police about any devices he owned.

He bought a phone and a Samsung tablet computer which he used to download child abuse images from the internet and USB storage sticks on which to store them.

He was caught when staff at a hostel where he was living in South Devon realised what he was doing and tipped off the police. They made three unannounced visits in the space of five months and found he had banned items and images.

They also seized a desk diary in which Jarrett had recorded his sinister online activity and visits to playgrounds. He refused to tell the police the PIN numbers for his devices, saying: ‘You don’t own me. Go to hell.’

A preliminary examination of the phone’s memory card showed 57 images of boys aged eight to 14, of which one movie and 27 stills depicted them suffering very serious abuse at the hands of adults.

Police also found a hoard of pornographic cartoons which showed boys taking part in various forms of sexual activity.

Jarrett, aged 55, formerly of Plymouth but now of Factory Row, Torquay, admitted five offences of downloading or possessing indecent or prohibited images of children and two of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

He was jailed for three years by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court, who told him his offences were made more serious by his previous convictions and the fact that he repeatedly defied attempts by the police to supervise him.

He said: ‘Your life has lacked much achievement. You have led a lonely and asocial life. You recognise how powerfully you are drawn to access indecent images of children. I hope you recognise the appalling harm cause by their creation.’

Mr Ryan Murray, prosecuting, said Jarrett was required by his SHPO to tell police about all his internet connected devices but only declared an old Nokia mobile.

Staff tipped off his offender manager on March 28 that he was using another phone or tablet and a search revealed one of each along with some USB sticks. He refused to give the PIN, saying ‘you don’t own me’.

A download of the memory card showed there were 56 images and one video and 66 indecent cartoons and one video of boys. Further searches on July 7 and August 11 uncovered more devices.

Jarrett responded to the final visit by lying on his bed and telling the police to ‘go to hell’ Officers became suspicious of a toolbox which had a combination padlock on it. Jarrett refused to tell them the number but the unscrewed the sides and found another hidden tablet device.

An A4 diary was found in which he wrote references to downloading images and watching children at  playparks. As he was led away he told officers that he should never have been released from prison.

Jarrett has convictions for 55 offences dating back to 2007 which include downloading images, voyeurism, and breaking previous SHPOs by going to children’s play areas.

Mr Brian Fitzherbert, defending, said Jarrett suffered abuse as a child in care and now lived an isolated existence in which he spent most of his time watching television in his room at a hostel.

He is keen to address his problems and wants to be sent to a prison where he can undertake a sex offenders’ treatment programme.

Description

A man who sexually abused two girls has been jailed for nine years.

Stephen Cox, 44, from Torquay, Devon, was found guilty in May at Exeter Crown Court of seven offences.

They included assault by touching, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The younger victim was only three when she was interviewed by police, and Cox, who denied the charges, had shown no remorse, the court heard.

Cox, of Hillesdon Road, was also sentenced to a five-year extended licence, put on the sex offenders' register for life and issued with an Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restricting contact with children.

'No remorse whatsoever'

Mary McCarthy, prosecuting, said the abuse happened in the late 2010s at a property in north Devon and came to light when the older girl, then aged six, told her mother what had happened.

The younger of his two victims was aged three when she was video-interviewed by specially trained police, and a little older when other evidence was pre-recorded.

In their evidence, the children said Cox had touched them and devised an "elephant game" in which he encouraged them to touch him.

Cox was said to have a "significant sexual attraction to children" by the writer of a probation report, and the judge, Recorder Mr Donald Tait, categorised him as a dangerous offender who posed a real risk of harming children.

The judge said Cox's behaviour had had a "very significant effect" on the girls and he had shown "no remorse whatsoever".

After sentencing, Det Con Terry Hodgson, of Devon and Cornwall Police, who led the investigation, said that the victims' cooperation was a "testament to their bravery" after they "suffered significant sexual abuse".

He added: "This is an important reminder that such reports will always be taken seriously by the police and justice will be sought."

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A pervert from Torquay has been jailed for secretly recording a female for his own sexual gratification.

Ian Buttrey, 39, used his mobile phone to make recordings of the young victim while she was naked, Exeter Crown Court was told.

When police seized his computer they found he had an obsession with voyeurism and searched the internet to satisfy his fetish.

Buttrey also secretly filmed a woman while she was undressed.

One victim said his behaviour had a 'huge impact' on her life while the other suffers anxiety and sleepless night and a result.

He pleaded guilty to making indecent images and four charges of voyeurism.

Prosecutor Ms Mary McCarthy said police arrested Buttrey in May 2020.

There were initial concerns about the defendant's state of mind and police notified the defendant's work to look out for anything unusual.

They found a mobile phone in a bin and when police examined it, they found films of the victims.

The defendant has no previous convictions.

Buttrey has been jailed for 21 months and put on the sex offender register.

Description

A "disgusting" retired driver who arranged to meet a girl he met online and thought was 14 years old was snared by paedophile hunters who set him up, a judge has heard.

Timothy Hobbs, 61, travelled from Taunton in Somerset to Bournemouth, Dorset, expecting to meet the girl who he said he would like to see in a swimsuit.

Hobbs even told the "girl" she would recognise him because he would be wearing a West Ham football shirt.

A court heard that this description made him easy to spot by the paedophile hunters who intercepted him and handed him over to the police.

Judge Anthony Barnett, sitting at Winchester Crown Court, heard how Hobbs had fallen for the hunter's bait in 2019.

Hobbs, who now lives in Torquay, admitted causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging to meet a child, he committed both offences in September 2019.

Prosecuting, Francisca da Costa told the court a man from a paedophile hunter group caught Hobbs when he arranged to meet the girl in Bournemouth, saying he would be in a West Ham shirt.

When he arrived in the shirt, he was easily identifiable to the hunter group.

Ms da Costa said: "On September 4, 2019 the civilian set up an online profile on the app Oasis called Megan, the defendant used the profile Hannahs1234.

"Hobbs made contact saying 'hello, my name is Tim' and continued 'how old are you, can I see your photo please?' The defendant said 'you are so gorgeous' and 'you don't look 14'."

Hobbs asked for the girl's number and began communicating with her on WhatsApp.

The court heard how the defendant said he would like to see her in a swimsuit and on September 21, 2019, arranged to meet her in Bournemouth.

Defence counsel Robin Leach said the defendant lived alone in Torquay without contact with his ex-wife and children.

He said he had worked as a driver for 40 years but had to stop due to physical reasons and was a very solitary man.

Judge Barnett described the behaviour as "disgusting" and sentenced Hobbs to 12 months for arranging to meet a child and eight months for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The sentences, which were to be served concurrently, were suspended for two years.

Hobbs was given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, meaning any device he owns capable of accessing the internet must be notified to the authorities and he is not allowed to hide from the authorities.

He was also ordered to carry out 20 rehabilitation requirement days.

Description

A high-risk abuser has been jailed for hanging around a seafront play park and leering at the children inside it.

Gary Loftus also made friends with a family and bought sweets for their six-year-old child, before visiting another seaside resort with them.

He has a history of child abuse dating back 35 years and has served a string of jail sentences either for molesting children or flouting orders put in place to protect them.

He was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which banned him from play areas and from befriending families with young children.

Loftus, of Wellesley Road, Torquay, admitted two counts of breaching an SHPO and was jailed for 16 months by Judge Timothy Rose at Exeter Crown Court.

Mr Ian Graham, prosecuting, said the 67-year-old had befriended a family in December 2019 and visited an arcade in Exmouth with them.

He then went to their Taunton home in June 2020 and bought sweets for their six-year-old daughter.

Three months later, he was arrested after being seen walking around the outside of a play area at Paignton seafront that was full of young children.

He spent nearly an hour walking around the park on the Esplanade, appearing to touch himself, and was reported to the police.

He later accepted he was gaining sexual gratification by looking at the children.

Gary Loftus has previous convictions for 19 offences and was jailed in 1989 for indecent assault, in 1993 for gross indecency and in 2002 for breaking an order to stay away from a child.

He has been jailed twice for breaking a Sexual Offences Prevention Order imposed in 2009, which was updated to an SHPO by the time he was jailed in August 2018 for ingratiating himself with a single mother in Teignmouth without telling her about his past.

He had only been out of jail for less than a year after being imprisoned for similar offences in Teignmouth when he breached the SHPO again in December 2019.

Judge Rose told him: "It is the assessment of the probation service that you pose a high risk of causing serious harm to children.

"When you cultivated friendship with families with young children, you knew who you were and what you should and should not be doing. When you went to the play area, you put yourself in that position.

"You have done it before and were doing it again. There was an element of a grooming situation where you could get gratification from the presence of a child, even if it was not possible to act on it."

The judge went on to say: "Imagine the reaction of the mother on hearing that the man who was hanging around her six-year-old is actually a sex offender with multiple convictions.

"The parents of the children in the play area would be appalled to know that a sex offender had stopped a while to look at their children because that is what he wanted to do.

"You know what you have done and here you are doing it all over again."

Mr Herc Ashworth, defending, said there had never been any danger of any physical offences against a child because Loftus had never been left alone with one. All his contact with children was brief.

He said he remains committed to tackling his behaviour and suffers from illnesses that will make his time in prison very difficult for him.

Description

A man who filmed himself abusing a one-year-old baby has been jailed after an image was found on his mobile phone.

Barry Cornes claimed he was only touching the child out of curiosity and there was nothing sexual about it but a jury disagreed.

The mother of the baby was traced by police and made a victim impact statement saying she was sickened and devastated.

She had to go through the ordeal of holding her child as a doctor made a specialist examination which showed there had been no physical damage from the sexual assault.

Cornes, aged 47, of St Lukes Road, Torquay, denied sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court. He admitted taking an indecent image of a child.

He was jailed for three years, six months, put on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which bans unsupervised contact with children.

Judge David Evans told him: “You are still in denial and have shown no remorse. The personal statement of the child’s mother makes plain the very significant distress which your offending caused.

“The child was particularly vulnerable because of her extremely young age. The taking of pictures is an aggravating feature.

“This conviction will doubtless haunt you for the rest of your life, and rightly so.”

Mr David Scutt, prosecuting, said the offence happened in January last year and came to light when the image was found by accident in a deleted section of Cornes’s phone.

His hand was identifiable in the images but he said he touched the child out of curiosity rather than for any sexual gratification.

The child’s mother made a victim statement which said: “I felt physically sick. Going to the medical centre to see if my baby was sexually damaged was the worst thing I have ever had to go through.

Description

An intruder who crept into the bed of a sleeping woman and started kissing her back has been jailed for 22 months.

Steven Lhirondelle, 30, sexually assaulted the woman as she lay frozen by panic in the bed.

Fearing she would be raped she summoned the courage and leap out of bed before running into the street and shouting for help.

Lhirondelle was later arrested by police and said 'I'm sorry. I don't know why I did it'.

The defendant was described as a lonely but otherwise hard-working man when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court.

He admitted knowingly trespassing on premises with the intention of committing a sexual offence and sexually touching a woman without her consent.

The victim, a woman aged in her 60s, said she still could barely believe the offence had happened and was frightened of returning to her home and bed.

The offence happened in Torquay in May.

Prosecutor Ms Bathsheba Cassel said the victim, who lived alone, had gone to bed only to be woken in the early hours by an intruder. Lights were switched on and off and a voice said 'I will steal' a number of times.

"Shortly afterwards she felt someone in the bed," said the prosecutor.

She did not know who it was or recognise the man during the assault.

She felt the man stroking her back and then kissing it 10 to 12 times. Lhirondelle remained silent during the assault.

"The victim describes being still and feeling confused about what was happening and frightened about what was about to occur," said Ms Cassel.

"She feared she was going to be raped and felt she had to get away."

Summoning the courage she jumped out of bed and ran downstairs as quickly as she could.

"She felt panic, despair and shock," said Ms Cassel.

"She screamed for help as loudly as she could."

Police were called and arrived at the scene soon after.

Lhirondelle remained calmly at the scene for some time before running off. Police arrested him later that morning.

He told them: "Yes, I've had a bit too much to drink and tried to get into the house." He apologised and said he was just looking for somewhere to sleep.

He couldn't remember kissing the woman but agreed she wouldn't make it up.

Mr Martin Salloway, defending, said the defendant could not really explain his actions. He was sorry for what he had done and had been moved to tears by the victim's account of what had happened.

"He is a sad and lonely soul," said Mr Salloway. He said Lhirondelle had admitted is crime at an early stage and spared the victim a trial.

The victim said in a statement: "I cannot sleep in my bed, I cannot bear the thought. I will have to clean and disinfect the house. I am shaken and overwhelmed. Part of me doesn't believe it's happened but I am choosing to think like that because I'm still in a trace."

Judge David Evans said the defendant's crime was too serious to suspend the sentence.

"She feared she would be raped. I accept that was not your intention but that was the terrifying prospect she feared. You must have realised that possibility and had you been sober you would have realised anybody waking up to that situation would be likely to fear that as the ultimate outcome."

He said the defendant, of Babbacombe Road, had given no explanation for his scary behaviour but accepted it was out of character.

Description

A charity worker who arranged to meet girls under the age of 14 for sex in hotels has escaped jail so he can 'get help'.

Toni Stevens asked at least 39 underage girls for 'naughty pictures' and threesomes before he was caught by a vigilante paedophile hunting group who had set up the decoy accounts.

The group called police and Stevens was arrested at the scene on November 27, 2017.

During the sting Stevens said: 'I'm ashamed of myself' and hung his head while listening to chat logs from his conversations over WhatsApp.

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity at Plymouth Magistrates' Court last November. 

He was handed a 12 months suspended for two years and ordered to attend 20 days of rehabilitation at Exeter Crown Court today. 

His defence counsel Mr Michael Brown had asked the court to show mercy on Stevens who 'acknowledged he had a problems with his behaviour'.  

Stevens was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, which will prevent him from working with children and was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for a decade.

Judge Graham Cottle told him: 'If you are in breach of the order by committing further offences then you will be brought back to court and serve this sentence.'  

In chat logs the community volunteer discussed having a threesome with his ex-girlfriend and sent nude pictures of himself.

As part of the sting, members of the Plymouth Against group set up decoy profiles and spoke to Mr Stevens over messaging apps. 

In the messages exchanged between Mr Stevens and the decoy, the conversation quickly turns from general chit-chat to sexually explicit content despite the paedophile knowing the account he was talking to was supposedly 14-years-old. 

Paedophile hunter Chris, 42, who was involved in the sting, said: 'Toni had been speaking to at least 39 underage girls online and had arranged to meet a lot of girls countrywise. 

'He told [several decoys] he would book a hotel room to facilitate the threesome.

'In this sting, he originally told the decoy to meet him at Taunton Travelodge. He'd arranged to meet our other decoys in Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester.

'Strangely, he had no intention of actually meeting up with any of them. We knew he wasn't going to turn up to the meetings, so we called the charity that he volunteered at called Hele's Angels.' 

At the time of Toni's arrest, the charity Hele's Angels, which supports the local community, claim Toni never had contact with children while working there.

Today, Dani Skillin, a volunteer at the charity, said: 'Hele's Angels are looking forward to the future and moving on without Toni Stevens.' 

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A paedophile has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in what the judge described as an ‘unforgivable’ crime.

Matthew Johnson’s actions left his young victim an ’emotional wreck’, Exeter Crown Court was told.
 
To cries of ‘scum’ from public gallery, Johnson, 30, of Market Street, Torquay, was led away from the dock to the cells.

Johnson had changed his plea after the prosecution served new forensic and medical evidence.

The court heard heart-breaking testimony about the impact of his crime from the victim’s mother.

In a statement she said: “Prior to my daughter being sexually assaulted she was a very happy, outgoing girl.

Now she is an emotional wreck. She now receives counselling and has turned into a girl who does not like going outside.

She is always frustrated and angry and lashes out both physically and verbally. “She had told me she does not want to be here anymore and has thoughts about killing herself.

I am devastated about seeing my little girl turned into an emotional wreck.”
Prosecutor, Rachel Drake, told the court that Johnson encouraged the girl to play a game with him before assaulting her.

When she told him to stop he refused.

The victim had to endure two police interviews and a medical examination, Ms Drake said. But Johnson’s guilty plea meant she did not have to give evidence at a trial.
When he was interviewed by police Johnson initially denied the offence.

When police searched his computer they found he had looked up subjects such as ‘what police would need to prove to prove he was a paedophile’, said the prosecutor.
 
“There was also evidence of internet searches by the defendant for underage boys and girls,” added Ms Drake.

The victim’s mother said in the statement: “I’ve never felt so low and emotionally drained. I feel I am constantly living on the edge. This has had a life-long effect on my daughter.”
 
Recorder Martin Meeke QC said he would give the defendant 25 per cent credit for his plea.

He said: “You are a man aged 30 and of previous good character. You took advantage of a time you were alone with the victim. It was an appalling thing to do to any child. It is unforgivable.

“Your conduct has had a significant effect on your victim in terms of the psychological damage, as illustrated in the victim personal statement.” Johnson pleaded guilty to assaulting a female under 13 by penetration.

The defendant will serve half of his sentence in custody and the rest on licence. Recorder Meeke added a further one year to the licence period on his release.

He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning his contact with children and will sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Description

2022-03-14 Released and is living in a bail hostel in Plymouth. Gang member used Facebook as part of a campaign to sexually abuse more than 100 schoolgirls in the Torbay area A member of a gang believed to have sexually abused more than 100 schoolgirls in a seaside resort has been sentenced to 10 years in custody. Jake Ormerod, 20, used Facebook as part of his "campaign to groom naive and immature girls" and then "mercilessly corrupted" them to satisfy his "insatiable need for sex". He admitted 13 charges of sexual activity with eight girls. He plied victims with drink and drugs in the Devon resort of Torquay, before having unprotected sex. Some of them were virgins, and in one session he had sex with three children within 90 minutes, Exeter crown court heard. Sending Ormerod to a young offenders' institution, Judge Philip Wassall said that some of his victims had been "so stupefied they did not find out until later that you had had sexual intercourse with them". After the sentencing, Devon and Cornwall police said they believed Ormerod was part of a wider group of young men in the Torbay and Teignbridge area who had abused girls as young as 11 who went missing from home. Police and other agencies have acted to safeguard 139 girls who are believed have come into contact with members of the group. Sources believe that there have been at least 40 victims of the gang, though others may have been assaulted but are too traumatised or frightened to give evidence or remain loyal to the abusers. Police refuse to say how many other suspects they are hunting, only saying it is "fewer than 10". Detective Inspector Simon Snell, who is leading the inquiry, codenamed Operation Mansfield, said Ormerod was guilty of "classic grooming behaviour" to make the victims feel wanted and loved. As well as grooming them on the internet, the men would meet the girls at school gates or on the streets of Torquay, police say. The case is another example of the worrying number of girls who are victims of street grooming. A report from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre published last month revealed that many such victims were runaways. In court, Andrew MacFarlane, prosecuting, said that a large number of girls aged 12-15 who had gone missing were regularly found at Ormerod's home. MacFarlane said: "The defendant took advantage of their vulnerability. He mercilessly corrupted them in order to satisfy his apparently insatiable need for sex. "He never used a condom. He never took no for an answer. He lowered what resistance they had mostly by the ready provision of drink and cannabis in significant quantities." The house Ormerod shared with his mother in Torquay was described as filthy by some victims. But MacFarlane said: "The lure of drink and drugs appears to have overwhelmed their disgust." MacFarlane said: "For many, it is no exaggeration to say that their lives have been damaged permanently and what remained of their childhood years have been destroyed." One victim, who was 14 at the time she was abused, tried to kill herself. She said Ormerod had pinned her down and had sex with her when she was a virgin. Later she described herself as horrible and called Ormerod "blatant scum who never washed and was a creep". A 13-year-old girl said that Ormerod had a "bad boy image which girls found attractive". Another 13-year-old said that he had sex with her as she drifted in and out of consciousness "after getting wrecked". Yet another girl aged 13 said that he plied her with drink and drugs and for him having sex was "like necrophilia". She added that she felt she "will never be the person I was". Defending, Paul Dentith, denied that Ormerod was a predatory paedophile. He said: "He is not the Pied Piper of Torquay." Dentith said there was a hate campaign against Ormerod and he would never be able to return to Torquay. But outside court one victim's mother said: "He has cherry-picked these girls because they are vulnerable, and he has gone on to sexually exploit them. "He has pretended to befriend them, shown them kindness and that he is a really decent, gentle guy he isn't. I'm glad he is locked up. He started the exploitation of young girls years ago." Police said the hunt for other men suspected of abusing girls in Torquay was continuing. Officers also conceded that questions needed to be asked about the way police and other agencies worked together to prevent vulnerable runaways being abused and to identify those who were targeting them.