Locations
Tresooth Place, Tresooth Lane, Penryn, TR10
Description
A paedophile who posed as a young boy and was caught by an undercover police officer doing the same has avoided jail.
Richard Williams, 44, shared vile pictures with young girls online, met with them for lewd acts live on camera and possessed images of children as young as four, Truro Crown Court was told at his sentencing hearing today (Friday, October 29).
Williams pleaded guilty to eight paedophile offences over a period of seven years.
The offences included:
- Attempting to communicate with a person aged under 16 for his own sexual gratificatioin, namely an undercover police officer pretending to be a 13-year-old boy.
- Possessing hundreds and thousands of indecent images of children, in categories C (809), B (1,362) and A (1,096) respectively.
- Possessing 43 prohibited images of children.
- Distributing an indecent picture of a child, namely an image in category C.
- Engaging in a sexual activity, namely masturbation, in a place where you could be observed by a child under 16 knowing or believing that the child was. or intending that the child should be aware you were engaging in that activity.
- Intentionally causing or inciting a girl aged under 16, not reasonably believing she was aged 16 or over, to engage in sexual activity of a non-penetrative nature, namely masturbation.
Recorder Richard Smith, QC, said the first offence occurred in 2013.
He explained Williams, of Tresooth Place, Penryn, sent and received a number of pictures of children with whom he was in contact over various platforms and he distributed a Category C - the lowest of three - movie over Skype.
The court heard how between 2015 and 2016 Williams was in communication with a 14-year-old girl. He was pretending to be a 15-year-old boy.
Recorder Smith said: "You persuaded that 14-year-old girl to watch you masturbate and you sent her a number of pictures of your erect penis. Later and still concerning the same victim you sent a series of grooming messages encouraging her to masturbate.
"By 2019 you came into contact with an undercover officer who had joined a group of individuals of sexually like-minded people so he could no doubt monitor their activity."
He said Williams came to the officer's attention when he joined that group and posted explicit pictures of himself.
He explained Williams, of Tresooth Place, Penryn, sent and received a number of pictures of children with whom he was in contact over various platforms and he distributed a Category C - the lowest of three - movie over Skype.
The court heard how between 2015 and 2016 Williams was in communication with a 14-year-old girl. He was pretending to be a 15-year-old boy.
Recorder Smith said: "You persuaded that 14-year-old girl to watch you masturbate and you sent her a number of pictures of your erect penis. Later and still concerning the same victim you sent a series of grooming messages encouraging her to masturbate.
"By 2019 you came into contact with an undercover officer who had joined a group of individuals of sexually like-minded people so he could no doubt monitor their activity."
He said Williams came to the officer's attention when he joined that group and posted explicit pictures of himself.
Recorder Smith said it was that interaction that led to Williams' discovery, as the undercover officer was posing as a teenage boy. Following his arrest, Williams' devices were seized by police.
Recorder Smith said: "It unfolded on investigation that over a number of years you had been sending thousands of messages of sexual content over a variety of different platforms to young people."
Recorder Smith added Williams was in possession of "thousands not hundreds" of indecent pictures of children ranging from ages four to 16. Those pictures also ranged in category from C to A, in order of seriousness.
Recorder Smith said following his arrest Williams admitted to the offences and expressed he wanted help with the situation "he found himself in".
Earlier in the hearing, Robin Smith, representing Williams, explained to the court that it's often the case that alleged paedophiles with devices seized wait to hear what charges they face before admitting any wrongdoing. However, this wasn't Williams' approach, as he admitted his offences at an early date.
Recorder Smith said since his discovery Williams had "done a great deal" to address his own "serious failings". He accepts Williams is genuinely ashamed and remorseful for what he's done. His offending coincided with difficult times of his life, but this wasn't an excuse for what he's done.
He said: "You were clearly driven over a long period of time over a sexual desire that you could not resist."
He said there's been no suggestion of any repeat offending in the two years since he was discovered.
Recorder Smith said: "You've taken efforts to better inform yourself over that which has driven you in the past to offend. You've simply not waited to be helped, you've sought to help yourself."
He added that Williams has no previous convictions.
Recorder Smith said Williams' partner is standing by him, not through loyalty but understanding their part in supporting him in the future.
Recorder Smith said: "I've carefully considered whether an immediate custodial sentence is necessary in this case and I've balanced that against the opportunity that stands today for society to be served by you being assisted by this very helpful and specific programme.
"I've come to the conclusion that justice in this case is best met having regard to all your particular circumstances, passage of time and what you've done since, this is an opportunity that should not be lost.
"I take the view that the most appropriate way to pass a sentence is to make you the subject of a community order."
Williams was handed a three-year community order with 20 days of specific rehab activity to address his previous offending and 15 hours of unpaid work.
Recorder Smith said: "This is an opportunity that's being presented to you, it's not an act of leniency, it's an act of justice to make sure society gives itself the best opportunity to rid itself of the man you previously were. If you fail you will have only failed yourself and in those circumstances it would be inevitable that you will serve a custodial sentence."
Williams is the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and will be placed on the sex offenders register for the next five years. He will also be required to pay a victim surcharge.