Kyle Griffiths 26

Description

He had 'extremely disturbing' chats and shared child rape videos and images on WhatsApp

A paedophile had sick online chats in which he fantasised about being a dad raping his own baby.

Kyle Griffiths, 23, took part in "extremely distributing" conversations with other perverts on WhatsApp.

And he also used the messaging service to share some of his vile collection of child rape videos.

Liverpool Crown Court heard his disgusting stash included clips of babies and toddlers being raped.

Police acting on information about the uploading of indecent images raided his home in Middleton Drive, Prescot, on July 6 last year.

His Samsung mobile phone was seized and found to contain 47 Category A indecent images - the most serious category showing child rape - including 13 videos.

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, said these files, along with 41 Category B and 28 Category C indecent images, plus 1,616 prohibited (cartoon) images of children, were all downloaded between October 2019 and July 2020.

Analysis of the phone showed Griffiths had also distributed Category A, B and C indecent images on WhatsApp.

The court heard he sent a Category A video, two Category B photos and a Category C photo to one person on April 2, then on April 5 sent two Category A photos and one Category C photo to a different person.

Mr Hopkins said: "I should also highlight a conversation which was sent by the defendant... I'm not going to read it out."

He added: "It's extremely disturbing. It's a conversation where the defendant sets out a narrative of raping a baby as if he were the father of the baby."

Mr Hopkins said: "There are other conversations which I'm not going to refer to, but I think it's fair to say that in summary the conversations with other users do talk about very young children."

One Category A video showed a baby aged between four to six months being raped and another a girl aged three or four being raped.

Griffiths admitted three counts of downloading, one count of possessing and three counts of distributing indecent photos of children, plus one count of possessing prohibited images of children.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had references from his mum and stepdad, sitting in the public gallery.

He said Griffiths was single, with no children and in full time work, having lost a previous job as a result of the police investigation, but gained another.

Mr Rawson said a pre-sentence report showed his "regret and remorse" and full acceptance of responsibility and his "sexual motivation".

He said: "I'm not going to rehearse in full the detail of the pre-sentence report, but your honour will be aware that he himself was subject to abuse of the type which he then went on to view and that's had a significant effect upon him.

"He's deeply ashamed, not just for the fact that the offence has been committed, but the fact his family have undergone the indignity of a search of their premises, they had their electronic items, laptops, iPads, phones, seized and searched."

Mr Rawson added: "They have taken some considerable time to come to terms with what has happened to him as a result of this.

"They stand by him, your honour can see they're sat at the back of the court today in support of him, and are anxious he's dealt with appropriately."

The lawyer said the report identified the substantial "immaturity" of Griffiths, who was 21 at the time, and that his remorse was "genuine".

He said Griffiths was undergoing therapy with child sex abuse prevention charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation to address his issues.

Mr Rawson said sentencing guidelines suggested a starting point of three years in prison.

He urged the judge to reduce this because of his client's mitigation and full one third credit for his guilty plea to a sentence less than two years, which could then be suspended, so he could be rehabilitated in the community.

Judge Denis Watson, QC, said he bore in mind all that he had read in the report and the references about Griffiths, "which tells me you come from a good family, that you have been successful in obtaining work and there is genuine remorse and shame".

He also acknowledged that Griffiths had actively sought help and noted his age and immaturity.

However, the judge said aggravating features of the case included the "extreme youth" of the children, the detail of Griffiths' conversation and the fact he distributed Category A images to two different people.

Judge Watson said although there was a prospect of rehabilitation, the distribution of those images was the "dominant factor" in him deciding the only appropriate punishment was immediate custody.

Griffiths started breathing heavily in the dock as he was jailed for 18 months.

The judge ordered Griffiths to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.