Description
A "disgusting" paedophile with a "foot fetish" filmed himself sexually assaulting a young girl.
Marco Assogna, 44, also took pictures of an intimate part of his body "on her feet" and created a dedicated file on his computer to store them in.
The pervert also allowed indecent images on his computer to be accessed by other paedophiles. He now faces deportation to his native Italy after being jailed for nine years for child sex offences.
Nicola Quinney, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court police raided Assogna's home last year after his IP address featured in an investigation of users of "peer to peer platform sharing of indecent images".
Assogna had not physically distributed the material, but had software which allowed the files to be accessed, the court heard, and some were.
He cried into a handkerchief as he sat in the dock listening to Miss Quinney describe how had repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl.
In total, across Assogna's laptop and three mobile phones that were seized, police found a total of 235 indecent pictures or films at category A - the most extreme - 52 at category B, and 147 at category C.
'Aroused by feet'
Miss Quinney said when he was arrested and interviewed, Assogna "admitted he had what he described as a foot fetish, and was sexually aroused by feet". There were 24 images of the victim's feet, which also included Assogna kissing and licking them.
In a harrowing victim statement, the girl's mother said Assogna's "monstrous actions" had devastated hers and her daughter's life to the point where she questioned "if we'll ever recover".
She said Assogna's manipulative behaviour "makes him even more dangerous". The girl was "frightened what will happen when he comes out of prison", and had "talked of wanting to kill herself".
'We'll battle through this'
The victim will need "a lot of help over the years from professionals", her mother said. She said the abuse had "turned my world upside down", but said: "With my love and the wonderful people we know we will battle through this."
She also said: "I will be forever grateful to the police."
Assogna, of HMP Hull, admitted five sexual assaults of a child under 13, five offences of making indecent photographs, and 27 of either possessing, making, or distributing indecent photographs.
'Deport him'
"The UK Borders Act applies to him, doesn't it?" Judge Mark Bury said. "He's an Italian national. Automatic deportation provisions apply.
"If the Home Office have got anything about them they will use them, and I'd like that passed on to the appropriate authorities."
Richard Thompson, mitigating, said Assogna had written a letter to the court and there was also a pre-sentence report.
He said: "The defendant accepts that there has to be a significant custodial sentence for these offences. He has discussed them with the author of the pre-sentence report.
"That has not been a straight-forward process for him. He has perhaps expressed himself better in the letter he's written.
'He wants to be a baker'
"He has a job in the prison kitchen as a baker, and says that is potentially a future career for him."
Assogna would not challenge deportation, Mr Thompson said, and planned to return to his family in Italy.
Jailing Assogna for nine years, Judge Bury told him: "It's clear you obtained sexual gratification from this tawdry behaviour. You are , in my view, a disgusting individual. I would approve of a Home Office decision to deport you at the end of this sentence."