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A MAN from Basingstoke was found in possession of more than 178,000 child sex abuse images, including of newborn babies and toddlers, a court has heard.

Keith Sayer collected the tranche of images, stored on a network of 19 devices, USB sticks and hard drives, in a "deliberate and systematic" filing system that caused "immeasurable" harm to babies and children "across the world".

The court heard how his collection started immediately after he was released from prison after previously being found in possession of indecent images of children. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2014.

The 39-year-old admitted that he was "sick" and "obsessed" and told a psychiatrist that he was spending five hours a day looking at the images and movies.

Sayer, formerly of Bolton Crescent in South Ham, was also found in possession of six paedophile manuals, as well as cable ties, masking tape, bungee ties, children's colouring sets and a newspaper article on the abduction of a child.

These were found when police raided his bedsit, prosecutor Sophie Chaplain told Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.

Police were first tipped off to someone accessing indecent images of children in April 2019, when they detected two IP addresses searching for the content.

They traced it to Sayer, and when his property was searched, he showed officers to a cupboard under a sink where he had hidden the devices – of which he was banned from using under a Sex Offenders Protection Order (SOPO) issued after his previous conviction.

When they searched the devices, they found a "deliberate and systematic" filing system of the offending photographs and videos, which constituted more than 10,000 images at category A.

The Sentencing Council state that category A offences include "penetrative activity" as well as activity involving "an animal or sadism".

Ms Chaplain also told the court that he had more than 1,000 movies saved to his stockpile.

Sayer, who appeared via video link from Lewes prison in East Sussex, was also said to have used the TOR browser, which can allow users to access the dark web and hide their identity.

In mitigation, Sayer was said to have had "nothing else to do" other than search for and look at child sex abuse images.

"He has never had a job, he had no ambition for himself," defence counsel Rose Burns told the court.

"He doesn't have any intimate relationships with anyone and never has. He doesn't have social interaction and says it is not something he was able to have."

She labelled his addiction to these images as an "illness, a disease", like any other addiction.

Applying for a community order so that Sayer can be given treatment, she said that a prison sentence was not benefitting the public nor him, adding: "It is the only way that this man is going to be diverted from his compulsive addiction."

However, Recorder Adam Feest decided that he would give a longer prison sentence than guidelines would suggest, adding: "It is sometimes said that people who view images of child abuse don't cause harm to children, but that is incorrect.

"Anyone who has images of children being raped is creating a market for those type of images and that market harms children across the world.

"Where someone has this quantity of images involving the rape of babies and other children the harm that has been caused is impossible for me to measure."

Sayer was sentenced to 32 months in prison for the six charges of making indecent images – discounted for early guilty pleas – as well as two years for the breach of the SOPO, to be served consecutively.

For possessing six paedophile manuals, he was given a six-month custodial sentence to be served consecutively, resulting in a total prison term of three years and two months.

However, Recorder Feest admitted he is likely to only serve half of that sentence.

He ordered an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, an automatic disqualification from working with children and the forfeiture and destruction of the images and manuals.

Additionally, he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: "Behind these images are often children who have been subjected to unthinkable pain and suffering.

"By continually seeking out horrific quantities of this sickening material Sayer has helped to leave a trail of devastation by fuelling demand for more children to be abused.

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A MAN who accessed 30 indecent photographs of children has avoided a prison sentence and instead been placed under supervision for three years. Marcus Marriott, 42, of Dunrossness, committed the offence on or between 12 September and 8 December last year at an address in Brae. At Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday for sentencing, defence agent Tommy Allan said his client viewed his behaviour as an addiction. Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the offence involved 30 thumbnail images, of which seven were deemed to be category A in severity, 14 category B and nine category C. Defence agent Tommy Allan said the offending took place at a time when his client was suffering in his personal life. He views this as an addiction and this is a lapse, he said. Since that time hes sought help to address the problem. Allan said it was clearly a serious matter but said Marriott made no secret of his problem and was motivated to change. Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said balancing all the factors including the extent of the offence and what was said in mitigation he felt that prison was not the only option. I consider that theres a direct alternative to a custodial sentence and that is by imposing a community payback order, he said. In addition to the three years of supervision, Marriott was given 200 hours of unpaid work to complete. He was made to undergo the Moving Forward: Making Changes programme, and was placed on the sex offenders register for three years. Sheriff Cruickshank also granted forfeiture of the device involved in the offence.

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Christopher Postans had unsupervised contact with children by the Elgar Statue in Worcester which breached the terms of a sexual harm prevention order designed to safeguard city children.

The 43-year-old of Ombersley Road, Worcester, was jailed for four months by Judge James Burbidge QC at the city's crown court on Thursday.

The breach happened when the registered sex offender had unsupervised contact with children near the Elgar statue in Worcester High Street before going to Starbucks on July 23 this year.

We have previously reported how Postans used the internet to groom girls and tried to meet one in a Malvern park so he could assault her.

Christopher Postans appeared at Worcester Crown Court via videolink from HMP Hewell last June where he admitted sexual communication with children, all young girls.

Then living at Longridge Road, Malvern, he admitted three counts of sexual communication with three different underage victims.

Postans tried to meet one of the girls in Victoria Park, Malvern, with the aim of sexually assaulting her. The first offence happened between April 1 and May 24 last year in Malvern when Postans attempted to communicate with a girl under 16 via Instagram.

Postans admitted two similar offences of sexual communication against two further victims and an ‘attempt to meet a child following sexual grooming’ on more than one occasion.

This involved an attempt to meet a girl aged 14 (one of the three victims already referred to) in Victoria Park, Malvern which would have involved the commission of a relevant sexual offence, namely a sexual assault.

He was jailed last July at Hereford Crown Court yesterday.

Andrew Wilkins, prosecuting, said the defendant messaged a girl of 13 on Instagram, describing a photo he believed was of her bottom as ‘a nice picture’, a comment she told him was 'inappropriate'. Postans attempted to meet her on April 16 last year at 11pm, telling her 'you don’t need to be scared - I just want to talk' and 'kiss me'.

The girl replied 'I'm 13 though'. Postans responded: "'Would you let me?”

Postans sent a topless photo of himself to another underage girl, also 13, which she said ‘made her feel really uncomfortable’.

Postans communicated with a third 13-year-old girl about ‘being naughty and smacking bums’, sending her his topless photo. However, the first victim, the one Postans had tried to meet in the park, told her father what had been happening, police were called and the defendant was arrested. In interview Postans made ‘limited admissions’ but denied any sexual motivation.

In 2003 Postans met with a 14-year-old girl he had contacted via an internet chat room, having penetrative sex with her.

The defendant, sentenced in 2005, received a community rehabilitation order and later breached the notification requirements.

Jailing him last July, Recorder Jason MacAdam said: “This is familiar territory for you. You have done this sort of thing before some considerable time ago."

He added: “The fact is you’re a paedophile. You’re sexually attracted to children. I have no doubt whatsoever if you had met any of these children you would have abused them in the same way you abused your victim in the past.”

Last July the judge had jailed him for 27 months, imposed a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and ordered him to sign the sex offender register for the same period.

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Dylan Jones even performed at mother-and-baby gigs

A comedian who has performed at mother-and-baby gigs has a conviction for child pornography.

Dylan Jones, now 53, received a 12-month suspended sentence in 2017 under his real name of David Parton after police found 549 indecent images of children on his computer when they visited his home in Penarth, near Cardiff. He remains on the sex offenders’ register.

Comedians on the South Wales circuit reacted with shock and revulsion after learning about his past, and feared his use of a stage name was designed to hide his conviction.

The case also raises questions about what checks promoters should make on comics performing at family gigs. The law does not require sex offenders to volunteer their convictions, but must do so if an employer asks.

Parton apologised for ‘the hurt I  have caused to the comedy community’ as well as the victims of the images he downloaded, and said he had successfully been seeking help for his problems. A total of 44 of the images were of the most serious kind, category A. 

His 2017 sentence was suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work, be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and to register as a sex offender for the same amount of time.

At Cardiff Crown Court, he admitted that he had been viewing images for four or five years and had an interest in spanking. He said he had never wanted to participate in such activity and needed help. Passing sentence,  Recorder Simon Mills acknowledged  Parton had assisted the police, expressed remorse and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Since his conviction, Parton has continued to perform on the stand-up circuit under his new stage name, including performing at two mother-and-baby gigs, Babi Comedy, last autumn.

After his conviction was revealed on a Facebook group for Cardiff-based comedians yesterday, colleagues registered their disgust. One even said: ‘I've been in a car with him, been to gigs with him,  lived next door to him. And now I feel physically ill and like I have to phone my Dad to tell him to move because I won't go over the house ever again knowing he breathes next door.’ 

Others said: This is very shocking and saddening and I only hope he understands the magnitude of what he's been doing’; ’I like everyone else was totally unaware of this sickening news. I find myself in complete shock and anger’; and  ‘There are so many layers of horrible to this that it's hard to know what to think other than at every opportunity he has failed to do the right thing’. 

Another comic posted: ‘I’ll tell you what: the one who needs "help" in this situation is each and every child who was abused, assaulted and trafficked to make the indecent images he kept. THEY need rehabilitation. THEY need therapy.’

There were also concerns about him using a professional alias. One comic said: ’When sex offenders are sincerely working on changing their behaviour I would usually urge against this sort of thing [naming-and-shaming],  but immediately creating a new alias is certainly immoral. Shocking.’

However Parton insisted he had not intended to mislead people.

In a statement to Chortle, he said: ‘It's obviously been a shock to many, and I fully understand the hurt I have caused to the comedy community, my family and friends and most importantly the victims of the images I downloaded. 

‘There is no justification for what I did, but I have been working with voluntary organisations, the police and mental health professionals to address my offending behaviour and my underlying serious mental health issues.

‘I am in a very different place to where I was four years ago when I was arrested. I am under regular supervision by the police.  My mania and depression are under control, and I have not reoffended in four years.

‘Police were aware of my change of stage name, and there has never been an attempt to disguise my identity or mislead people.’

Speaking of the mother-and-baby gigs he said: ‘There was no interaction between myself or the mother, babies or toddlers. More importantly I was accompanied the whole time. Again I can only apologise to those who have been hurt by my actions.’

But fellow comic Jorden Haste said: ‘The fact he's put himself around children multiple times, even lending his PA system when he's not actually an act so he's there, shows he's not ashamed.’

Hales Corney, promoter of the Babi Comedy gigs in Cardiff, told Chortle: ‘I’m shocked and saddened by these revelations. It’s a big wake-up call and we’re going to put extra steps in place when we restart after the lockdown.’

In a blog post on his website earlier this year, Parton spoke of suicidal feelings around the time of his conviction, saying he took an overdose of paracetamol and drove to his favourite beach. He explained: ‘I was a mess. I had done a lot of stuff I’m not proud of, and put everything, and everyone I valued at risk.’

But he said he was buoyed by messages online to try to turn his life around. ‘I wasn’t "cured",’ he posted. ‘There was no overnight recovery. It too all sorts of therapy and drugs to get me back on an even keel. Part of my recovery was to change my name…. It’s not too late to change direction.’

Parton started on the comedy circuit in 1998 under his real name. According to his biography he had previously been ‘a failed radio presenter, wedding DJ, musician, social worker and brush salesman’. He took some time off the circuit to become an actor, before returning in 2015.

However the revelations about his past are certain to curtain that career. One promoter posted: ‘I’ll obviously never book him again and I can assure you that I’ll make this known to other comics and bookers.’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AN ANDOVER man who drove hundreds of miles to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, only to be caught by a paedophile hunters group, has been jailed.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Ian Mace, then 51, travelled 400 miles to Scotland thinking he was going to meet a teenager he had been speaking to online.

It was reported that Mace had sent her thousands of messages on WhatsApp and app Highfive over the course of a month.

But when he arrived at the destination, 'Kelly' was not there. The girl who he thought he had been talking to was instead an adult from a group called 'Rising Against Online Predators', which describes itself as a "team who endeavour to take as many people who sexually exploit children online off the streets to make it a better place for children to grow up."

At a previous appearance at Hamilton Sheriff Court, he admitted communicating indecently with 'Kelly' and also attempting to meet with her between February and March 2018.

On Friday last week (August 21), Mace was jailed for 30 months for the incident.

A statement released on behalf of Hamilton Sheriff Court read: "The court having seen and considered the reports and having heard from Counsel in respect that no other method of disposal is deemed appropriate sentenced the accused to six months imprisonment from this date on charge 1.

"The court sentenced the accused to 24 months imprisonment on charge 3, said period to be consecutive to the period imposed on charge 1.

"Total period of imprisonment 30 months from this date."

Mace was placed on the sex offenders' register. Mace was present at sentencing.

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Music tutor David Brown was jailed for 11 years and one month, with an extended licence period of three years, for a string of sex offences against boys as young as seven at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday.

The 40-year-old was described as a “vile excuse for a man” by a victim’s mother and assessed as presenting a significant risk of causing serious harm by further offending.

Brown, formerly of Duke Street, Hintlesham, near Ipswich, had already admitted 20 offences against nine boys, including six counts of sexually assaulting three boys under 13, four of recording the abuse, six of voyeurism, three of making indecent photographs and one of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Judge David Pugh said Brown, more recently of Elthorne Park, Clacton-on-sea, “acted as a predator” by deliberately grooming boys in order to abuse them for sexual gratification.

Prosecutor Claire Matthews had described how the scale of offending was uncovered after one of the boys confided in his mother.

When arrested in January 2019, Brown tried to accuse her of fabricating the allegations in retaliation for an unrequited “obsession”.

Police uncovered 1,831 indecent images and movies of children on Brown’s laptop, including a video and images of him sexually abusing three boys and footage from secret cameras installed in toilets used by other boys.

Each victim’s image was cropped by investigators and had to be presented to their parents for identification.

Forensic analysis also recovered online chatroom messages sent by Brown under the guise of a 14-year-old girl, encouraging young boys to send indecent images and engage in sexual activity.

The court heard statements from parents of the boys Brown abused, expressing their anger, shock and disgust, and describing the various nightmares, flashbacks and trauma still suffered by his young victims.

One described Brown as a “dangerous and vile excuse of man, who saw prime pickings in the innocence of children”.

Joanne Eley, mitigating, said Brown had entered guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity at crown court last month following the service of a wealth of evidence.

She added: “The offences were committed at a time when – as the defendant states – he was at a loss to explain why he did what he did.”

Miss Eley said Brown had since spoken frankly to the probation service and did not deny being sexually attracted to children.

She said Brown had sent a letter to Judge Pugh, expressing sorrow and remorse, and “wishing he could turn back the clock to right his wrongs”.

Brown will have to go before the parole board before being considered for release from jail, and once free, must sign the sex offenders’ register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

Judge Pugh publicly recognised the work of Detective Constable Elizabeth Smy by recommending her for a chief constable’s commendation for her work on a complex and sensitive case.

After the sentencing, Det Con Liz Smy thanked officers and the safeguarding team for their dedication and professionalism, and paid tribute to the victims’ families for their courage in supporting the investigation.

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A Tory campaign chief who admitted possessing 1,500 child porn images has been handed a suspended jail term and told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Mark Lerigo walked free after Warwick Crown Court heard he has been judged not to pose a high risk to children.

The 49-year-old, of William Bristow Road, Coventry, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to charges brought following a National Crime Agency inquiry, including two of distributing images.

A court hearing on Friday was told Lerigo was arrested in 2018 and initially denied having a sexual interest in children.

Some of the images, the court heard, showed babies, while others involved bestiality and torture.

Sentencing Lerigo for offences relating to more than 1,500 images, Recorder Martin Butterworth said: 'I have to sentence you for downloading dreadful images of children, of children being abused, and downloading other unlawful sexual images.

'Any consumer of this dreadful material causes others to make it.'

Addressing Lerigo's former job, the judge added: 'You held a senior post in a political party.

'You are now disgraced, your reputation destroyed.

'Those two factors are not mitigation and you're not entitled to any sympathy for that.

'But you have demonstrated remorse and shame by your attitude in interviews, latterly with the police but most recently with the Probation Service, and you have pleaded guilty.'

Explaining the decision to suspend the jail sentence, the recorder added that he had to consider the best way to protect the public and children.

He told Lerigo: 'The pre-sentence report demonstrates that you want help and you have already sought it.

'That help can only be offered if you remain the subject of some order to be served in the community.'

Lerigo was given a two year jail-term, suspended for two years, and made the subject of a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was also made the subject of a four-month curfew and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

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A WEYMOUTH man was sent to prison for two years after admitting to sexual activity with a 15-year-old. Christopher Hole, 28 and from Weymouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to four counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child under the age of 16. On September 25 2019 Dorset Police received a third party report of sexual activity involving a 15-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man. A police spokesman said: "The victim was spoken to and reported that she had engaged in sexual activity with the man on four occasions. "Following enquiries, a 27-year-old Weymouth man attended a voluntary police interview and was subsequently issued with a postal requisition for four offences of sexual activity with a child." Hole was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on August 27. The judge sentenced him to two years in prison for the offences and gave Hole a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. He was also placed on the sexual offenders register for 10 years.

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A drifter has been jailed for having sex with three under age girls and trying to set up dates with two more.

David Orchard, who is also known as Withyman, was sofa surfing or living in his car when he met the girls, aged 13, 14 and 15.

He had a five month relationship with a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Exeter during which they had unprotected sex in his car four times.

He was caught because he started walking her to school and teachers became worried about his contact with her.

Orchard moved to Exeter while he was being investigated for having sex with two under age girls in Sheffield.

He defied a police notice to stay away from a 15-year-old girl and persuaded her to have sex with him at a friend’s house.

Just weeks later, he invited two 13-year-olds to his sister’s house in Sheffield to watch a film and got one of them to give him oral sex.

Police found social media messages with two more girls on his phone. He suggested sex with both and boasted about the size of his penis to the 13-year-old, writing ‘you could not get any bigger’.

Orchard, aged 23, of no fixed address, admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of sexual communications with a child.

He denied a further count of sexual activity with the child in Exeter but was found guilty at a trial in Exeter in January.

He was jailed for five years by Recorder Mr Jonathan Barnes at Exeter Crown Court. He was also put on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order which bans any future contact with under age girls.

He told him:”What you did was very serious. You knew full well you should not have been engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity with under age girls.

“You were with three separate young girls and two further offences of sexual grooming of two more. I am sure you would have proceeded to commit sexual offences against them if you had the opportunity.

“If you come out of prison and get involved with under aged girls again, you will go to prison for a very long time indeed.”

Mr Richard Crabb, prosecuting, said the first offences were committed in Sheffield in July and August of 2017 with girls aged 15 and 13.

He had been seeing the older girl for some months and had been issued with an abduction order which banned him from contact. He cajoled into having full sex with her.

He met two 13-year-old girls on Facebook and invited them to his sister’s house where he got one of them to masturbate him. He then pushed her head down onto his penis and held it there for about 25 seconds.

He was arrested and interviewed by police and denied meeting the two girls, even after they had picked him out in an identification procedure.

Orchard was released under investigation and moved to Devon in October 2017, living under the name of Withyman and spending some of his time living in his car.

He met the 14-year-old shortly after arriving in Exeter and they had a relationship which included having sex in his car.

Mr Crabb said:”He walked with her to school and must have known how old she was. She developed something of a crush on him and the sex was fully consensual. Her school alerted her mother who called the police.”

Orchard went on to groom two more girls on Facebook, sending a 15-year-old a picture of his penis with lewd messages.

Mr Ed Bailey, defending, said Orchard has learning difficulties which meant that his mental age is much lower than his physical age.

He has been classified as a vulnerable prisoner and has been unable to receive any visits from his family since the Covid lockdown in March.

He said there was no grooming involved in the Exeter case and all the sexual activity had been consensual.

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A Corby paedophile who downloaded 5,000 vile images of children failed in a last-minute bid to keep his identity secret.

Alexander Bailey, 56, made an application before Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday) to prevent the Northants Telegraph from reporting his name.

His legal representative Caroline Stewart said he was vulnerable and "incredibly concerned about repercussions" - but Judge Crane blocked the request because it did "not amount to good reason", citing the principle of open justice.

The court heard police, acting on intelligence, raided his York Road home at about 10am on November 26, 2016.

They seized two laptops and found thousands of images of child abuse dating from between May 2014, including some depicting babies and toddlers.

In total 5,150 files were recovered - 543 in category A (the most severe), 643 in category B and 3,964 in category C. Of those files more than 350 were videos. Search terms also recovered showed evidence he had been seeking images of young boys.

When he was interviewed Bailey admitted viewing the images and said he had been doing it for years.

Prosecuting, Ben Gow said: "He said he did not get any sexual gratification from them and he said he was not sure why he kept them."

The paedophile said he had been on a Russian website and had been "bombarded" with images.

He also admitted getting rid of a hard drive just weeks before he was arrested. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one charge involving extreme pornography at Northampton Magistrates' Court.

Mitigating, Ms Stewart said Bailey had since stopped using the internet as much as possible.

She added: "This is one of those cases where there is a sufficient prospect of rehabilitation."

Sentencing, Judge Crane told the disgraced paedophile: "You have denied a sexual interest in children...it seems to me that you are not being honest with yourself."

Bailey was sentenced to a three-year community order with rehabilitation requirements.

He must take part in the Horizon programme, a scheme designed for sex offenders, and has been barred from working with children.

He will also be on the register for sex offenders for five years and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

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Michael Powell also downloaded so-called "paedophile manuals" from the web containing illustrated guides on how obtain, hide, and sexually abuse young children

A former worker at a Welsh college has been revealed as a "committed paedophile" who downloaded sickening images of children and babies being sexually abused.

Some of the youngsters being sexually tortured for Michael Ian Powell's perverted pleasure were as young as just one month old, a court heard.

Former Llandovery College staff member Powell also downloaded so-called "paedophile manuals" from the dark web containing instructions on how to sexually abuse children.

Swansea Crown Court heard 59-year-old Powell was arrested after police raided his home shortly before 8am on October 24 last year.

Sophie Hill, prosecuting, said officers seized a number of electronic devices, and on them found almost 3,500 indecent pictures of videos of children from categories A - the most extreme kind - B and C.

Police also found Powell had downloaded so-called "paedophile manuals" from the internet - one was a guide on how to "obtain and hide a little girl for the purposes of exploitation", and one was an illustrated guide on how to sexually abuse girls aged between three and six.

Further examination of the devices found Powell had also taken part in sick online group chats, and shared an image of a child being abused with other paedophiles.

The prosecutor said the defendant, who has two grown-up children, made "full and frank admissions" to officers about what he had been doing.

Powell, of High Street, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children, one of distributing an indecent category A image, and one of possessing a paedophile manual, a relatively new offence created under the Serious Crime Act 2015.

He has no previous convictions.

Tom Scapens, for Powell, said unlike many other offenders who came before the courts for similar offending, Powell had been "refreshingly honest" in interviews with police and probation officers about gaining sexual gratification from viewing the indecent images, and the need to get help.

He said the defendant had been working in the alumni department of Llandovery College until his arrest, though had now lost that employment.

The barrister added that though Powell had been divorced from his wife for many years she had attended court - though not come into the courtroom itself - to support her former husband in a "personal capacity" in what he described as a demonstration of "remarkable generosity of spirit".

Judge Geraint Walters described the images Powell had downloaded as "unspeakably appalling", and said they were "amongst the most disturbing I have personally had to deal with".

He said: "How a father of two children can possibly not see the damage which looking at images like these causes children is something I find hard to fathom.

"You were committed to viewing for sexual pleasure other people's children being gravely sexually abused.

"You can properly be described as a committed paedophile. The reality is you are going to have to battle that condition for the rest of your life."

Giving the defendant the required one-third discount for his guilty pleas the judge sentenced him to a total of two years in prison. Powell will serve up to a half of that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time to control his access to the internet.

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A "dangerous" paedophile who encouraged a Greenhithe woman he met online to sexually abuse children for his pleasure has been jailed for life. James Jewell, 36, of Brymer Road, Puddletown, Dorchester, admitted six counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, aiding and abetting the sexual assault of a child and aiding and abetting an offender to engage in sexual activity with a child. He was also sentenced for three counts of making indecent images of a child and two counts of distributing indecent images of a child. The charges related to offences which occurred in Greenhithe and Tunbridge Wells between November 2017 and July 2018, where Jewell encouraged two women he met online to carry out sexual abuse of children. Kirsty Kimber, 26, of York Road, Tunbridge Wells, was jailed for more than nine years in February after pleading guilty to six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, four counts of taking indecent photographs of a child and three counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child. Concerns were raised on 20 July 2018 after videos were found by a friend on a mobile phone of her abusing a child. She was also found to have shared these videos via an instant messaging app with Jewell. The second woman, from Greenhithe, was handed a 14-month sentence, suspended for 18 months in July 2019, after pleading guilty to seven child sex offences. Both women were also handed Sexual Harm Prevention Orders. Following an investigation Jewell was arrested in August 2018 and charged with the offences in February 2020 As part of the life sentence he must serve a minimum of six years and eight months before being considered for parole. Investigating officer Detective Constable Karl Brett said: "Jewell is a dangerous man who coerced these women to carry out this abuse for his own gratification. "He managed to convince them to engage in these heinous crimes which were committed against young children and the trauma caused to these children cannot be underestimated. "I would encourage anyone with concerns of a similar nature to contact Kent Police so officers can investigate and safeguard children if required."

Description

A retired IT worker who had more than 7,000 indecent images of children and 3,000 images of bestiality has been sentenced to 8 months in jail suspended for 2 years and hit with a 3,000 fine after a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation. John Stoddart, 65, of Madeira Road in Ventnor, appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on 13th July where admitted 10 charges mainly relating to making and possessing indecent images of children. As part of his sentencing at the Isle of Wight Crown Court by Judge R Hetherington today (Friday) he was also put on the sex offenders register for 10 years, given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order limiting his use of the internet, ordered to attend a 35-day rehabilitation programme and told his electronic devices will be destroyed. Stoddart made in excess of 500 indecent images of children; 149 fell into the most severe category (A) for child abuse. NCA officers arrested him in June 2018 after proving he had made child sex abuse files available on an online sharing platform. Files containing the words Pedoland, Preteen and Lolita were located and attributed to Stoddarts IP address and user profile. Forensic analysis of his digital devices found 7,256 indecent images and 754 videos from as early as 2004. An additional 3,000 images related to bestiality. During interview he initially denied all allegations and said he was not sexually attracted to children. He said he sometimes clicked on online files to give them a go, and that hed once inadvertently seen a video of a baby being abused by clicking into a pop-up on his screen. Within the downloaded material, officers found Stoddart was a fan of online games and visual stories featuring erotic encounters with adults, children and animals. He admitted to having a fascination with incest because it was taboo and said he had been collecting extreme pornography since living in Germany in the 1970s. Martin Matthews, NCA operations manager, said: Over decades Stoddart had made and amassed a vast collection of imagery that was both obscene and involved the sexual exploitation of children. He took pleasure in experiencing a virtual world online that involved violence and sexual abuse. Stopping this before it ever became a reality was paramount to our officers. Protecting children remains a top priority for the NCA and we wont stop in our pursuit of those individuals who pose a threat. An NSPCC spokesperson has said: The scale of Stoddarts horrific collection is extremely disturbing. These kind of images capture abuse which could stay with the victims for the rest of their lives and Stoddart has helped provide a demand for them. The NSPCC continues to call on the Government and tech giants to crack down on this disgusting trade and ensure no child is forced to endure abuse for the gratification of sexual predators.

Description

A paedophile has been jailed for eight years for the rape and abuse of a child under 13.

Andrew Rutter was charged with a catalogue of child sex offences, carried out against a youngster several years ago.

In March this year, he pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child under 13, causing or inciting sexual activity with a child under 13, sexual assault of a child under 13 and rape of a child under 13.

The 41-year-old, of Goldrill Gardens in Redcar, was due to be sentenced in April however this was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday and was jailed for eight years.

Judge Paul Watson QC also imposed an additional one year on extended licence following Rutter's release from prison.

He will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.