Locations
Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, NE2
Description
A beach beast who took pictures of a naked young girl playing in the sand had thousands of indecent images and liked to wear children's underwear.
Russell Buglass took vile snaps focusing on the genitals of an unidentified girl aged between four and six as she played with a bucket on a beach in Tynemouth, later filing the pictures in a folder he titled "beach babes". That disturbing behaviour came to light when police turned up to investigate him downloading more than 40,000 indecent images online.
Officers also found he kept knickers for underage girls near his bed, had made a video of himself using a sex toy which he had put inside a babygrow and sent messages to a family member about how images of young girls aroused him. Now the 55-year-old pervert has been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court.
Police went to his then-home in Whitley Bay in January this year after receiving information that indecent images had been downloaded at the address. When cautioned and arrested, he replied "I've been so stupid, I'll lose my family and my job."
Officers seized his devices and also found a large number of children's underwear in a cabinet in the main bedroom. It was discovered that he liked to wear the underwear and sometimes carried out sex acts in them.
On the devices, there were 323 of the most serious, category A images, 555 category B and 40,679 category C. There were also 4,305 prohibited images and 1,025 extreme pornography images.
An example of the most serious images was given as a girl aged between eight and 12 being raped. The age range of the children featured overall was between five and 17.
In addition to the material downloaded online, he had taken category C indecent images of two children, including one aged between four and six on a beach in Tynemouth. There were 21 images of the unidentified child, in a folder titled "beach babes". Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said: "The girl was naked and holding a bucket. Her face could not be seen and the images focused on her genitals."
There was also a video showing him carrying out a sex act involving a pair of children's knickers. He was also seen putting his penis into a jar of sweets.
When quizzed by police he denied having a sexual interest in children but said he may have a sex addiction. He went on to say looking at mainstream pornography had escalated as he "looked for the next hit".
Buglass, 55, of no fixed address, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, one of taking indecent images, possessing prohibited images and possessing extreme pornography. He was jailed for two years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order, for ten years.
Sentencing him, Judge Tim Gittins said: "It's been said time and again that the making of each image is an act of abuse on top of the abuse the image captures. Then there's a further abuse of the victim when each image is viewed each time by someone like you.
"They have to live with the knowledge those images have been taken and that people like you are prepared to possess them and take sexual pleasure from them."
Mark Harrison, defending, said: "He understands there are a number of extremely troubling aspects to his behaviour, which will cause the court significant concern. He recognises his behaviour has been utterly reprehensible. The court and wider public will rightly consider them repugnant.
"He had lost his moral compass over a number of years. He has always expressed his shame and his absolute regret at the pain he has put people close to him, and those who are strangers to him, through, as a result of his selfish behaviour."
Mr Harrison said he has ruined the relationships he had with his family, his professional career, his family's finances and his standing in the local community. He has been living in bed and breakfast and shared accommodation and relying on benefits and "understands he is currently unemployable".
Mr Harrison said Buglass did not want to use his autism and ADHD as an excuse and has sought help, including joining Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous and is taking medication to "check whatever impact his various conditions have had".