Description
A "monster" paedophile who molested girls as young as five years old is among the criminals jailed by the courts across the South West over the last month.
Despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic over the last 18 months, the courts are still striving to dispense justice and has remained committed to putting criminals behind bars.
Despite many courts operating remotely and the justice system only now starting to get back to functioning on an in-person basis, those committing the most serious crimes are still being dealt with and being sentenced to jail terms.
Crimes have continued to be punished across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire over the last month, with some of the most significant including a paedophile from Bath who was convicted of molesting multiple girls between five and 14 years old.
Among the other most disturbing crimes for which people have been handed prison sentences include a former Army driver who hailed neo-Nazis as 'saints' and released a video of him strumming a guitar to footage of the Christchurch mosque shooting, and a healthcare assistant who was jailed after entering into a sexual relationship with a patient detained under the Mental Health Act.
Here are the criminals put behind bars by the courts across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire in June.
Stewart Geen, 53, of Bath, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after admitting seven counts of serious offences involving girls aged between five and 14.
They included multiple counts of rape, sexual assault and sexual activity.
As well as the 21-year jail term and five year licence extension, Geen was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.
During sentencing, Judge Julian Lambert said: "There is no question but that you knew what you were doing was wrong and wicked in the extreme.
"You chose your own corrupt sexual pleasure and thought nothing of the ruination of young lives.
"You are truly a monster steeped in corruption."
Dean Morrice, of Pithay Court, Paulton, built a collection of chemicals used in homemade explosives as well as a cache of terrorism manuals and instructions for a 3D-printed gun.
The 34-year-old made a video of himself strumming his guitar to footage of the Christchurch mosque shooting, glorified figures from the Third Reich and hailed neo-Nazi terrorists as saints.
Morrice, who participated in far-right forums and set up two channels of his own, was found guilty on ten counts:
- Three counts of dissemination of terrorist publication
- One count of encouraging terrorism
- Four counts of possession of a document or record for terrorist purposes
- Two counts of having an explosive substance
He was sentenced to 23 years in prison, with the last five to be served on licence.