Locations
Irvon Hill Road, Wickford, Essex, SS12
Description
An Essex pensioner has been jailed after he secretly filmed himself giving sports massages to young girls and possessing indecent images of children.
Hugh Hunter's vile videos were found on USB sticks after police raided his home in Irvon Hill Road, Wickford, last year.
The 74-year-old's home came to police's attention after officers discovered an IP address had been used to access indecent images of children.
After raiding the home while Hunter and his partner were present, police seized numerous devices, on which dozens of images were found, plus the voyeuristic videos on the USB sticks.
The videos were made when Hunter was working as a sports massage therapist to at least two young girls over a five year period.
Hunter attempted to claim he did not have a sexual interest in children, and that he recorded the videos due to fears the girls would accuse him of inappropriately touching them.
But this was rejected by Judge Shane Collery at Hunter's sentencing at Southend Crown Court on Wednesday (December 8), saying Hunter did it for his own gratification.
The court heard that Hunter had 62 category A images of child abuse - the most serious kind - along with 36 category B and 365 category C.
Prosecuting, James Lofthouse said: "Various recordings were made by Mr Hunter himself and on USB sticks, made certainly without the girls or parents knowing they were being recorded. These occurred over a number of years.
"They were able to be identified in their house."
Mr Lofthouse said that one of the girls had been made to feel "uncomfortable" when Hunter asked her to remove items of clothing.
In a victim impact statement, one of Hunter's victims, now an adult, said she had been left "angry and upset" by his actions.
She said: "Finding out as a result of a police investigation has had an impact on me.
"I had to go to counselling as a result and the stress and anxiety had me off work.
"I kept playing the events over and over in my head. I feel guilty that I never spoke out about it."
Mitigating, Daniel Setter said that Hunter recognises that his actions were "unacceptable", but had admitted his guilt as early as possible, and that the offences cast "a long shadow" over him.
Mr Setter also cited Hunter's various health problems and old age.
Judge Shane Collery said: "He said it was done to protect himself from later accusations of wrongdoing.
"It was done because he had a sexual interest in children.
"The videos are recorded and he planned what was going to happen.
"No one knows what the motive was."
Judge Collery jailed Hunter for 33 months for two counts of voyeurism and three counts of possession of indecent images of children.