Edward Howard 34

Description

A child sex offender has been sentenced to 18 years in prison plus a further six years on extended licence after pleading guilty to 17 charges including rape.

Edward Howard, 34, of Warren Road, Torquay, appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentence on Thursday 22 October, after pleading guilty at a hearing on Thursday 20 August.

Of the 17 charges, four were against the same victim - rape of a girl under 13, two counts of attempted assault by penetration of girl under 13, making an indecent photograph of a child.

He also pleaded guilty to:

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category A

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category B

Two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child – Category C

Three counts of distributing an indecent image of a child, one for Category A, one for Category B and one for Category C.

Possession of extreme pornography.

Three counts of sexual communication with a child.

Howard was first arrested in December 2025 when information was received that he had uploaded indecent images of children to the internet.

Further examination of his mobile phone revealed a large quantity of indecent images of children of each category.

Evidence was located on the device of sexual communications with three children.

It also contained images that he had taken himself of one victim.

The victim later disclosed that he had sexually assaulted her on more than one occasion.

Following the sentencing, officer in the case Detective Constable Ryan McGregor said:

“This was a complex and disturbing investigation led by the Devon and Cornwall Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

“It showcases the importance of building a strong case through tenacious work and providing as much evidence as possible to leave the offender little alternative other than to plead guilty.

“We would like to commend the incredible courage and strength of the victim in speaking out. She has been supported by her family and specially trained officers throughout and I do not underestimate the impact this has had on her. We hope this outcome will offer some comfort to the victim and her family.

“We welcome today’s sentence. We will never stop investigating such offences to safeguard children and protect the public from those who seek to hurt children. For those tempted to engage in this type of behaviour, our message is simple: we are watching you, you will be caught, and you can expect a knock at the door from us very soon.

“We also hope this sentence will provide reassurance to other victims of sexual offending to help give them the confidence to report to us. No matter who is involved or when it happened, we will do whatever is in our power to bring offenders to justice, protect and support survivors, and enable the truth to be uncovered about these terrible crimes.”