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A pervert former soldier was caught after offering to share child abuse videos involving babies with an undercover police officer. Jonathan Mathias also threatened to post pictures of what appeared to be 14-year-girl on Facebook unless she performed a sexual act.

The 41-year-old, of Honeywood, Newcastle-under-Lyme, was arrested at his parents' house in Porthcawl on September 29 last year while his wife was present. When he was out of earshot from his family, he admitted to officers he knew why they were there but claimed he was 'just messing about'.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard the undercover officer created a profile on the Kik messaging app and began speaking to the defendant who asked him to 'trade pictures'. He sent pictures of a young girl being abused and a picture of children's underwear and claimed he had abused a young girl, WalesOnline reports.

The police obtained a warrant as a result of this and arrested Mathias who initially made no reply. A Samsung phone was seized and when examined was found to contain 39 indecent images of children and seven extreme pornographic images as well as 66 videos of child abuse and nine videos of extreme pornography.

Prosecutor Clare Wilks told the court there were a number of 'small children' depicted in the videos – the youngest of which was just a baby. Among the chats on Mathias' phone was a conversation with someone claiming to be a 14-year-old girl in which he threatened to post photos of her on Facebook unless she performed oral sex upon her brother. The defendant had also visited websites related to bestiality.

Dad Mathias pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of indecent images and possession of extreme images. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation Tim Petrides said his client had been a member of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and had served tours of Iraq and Northern Ireland as well as being a member of the prison service. He said the defendant had been diagnosed with PTSD and felt "shame, remorse, and acceptance of harm" as a result of his offending.

Judge Wayne Beard sentenced Mathias to two years and four months imprisonment. He also made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

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A man from Norfolk who travelled to Dartford, Kent, in an attempt to sexually abuse a young boy has been jailed.

Anthony Finnis believed he was talking to a 12-year-old boy and described his sexual desires in great detail during online conversations.

When he travelled to Kent he brought with him a Thor fancy dress costume as he believed this was the boy’s favourite Marvel superhero.

Finnis was intercepted by Kent Police officers on Friday 30 September 2022, where they greeted him at the coffee shop he had planned to meet the child in.

He was arrested and later charged with several offences.

The 36-year-old from Briton Way, Wymondham, appeared in court on Monday 3 October 2022 where he pleaded guilty to arranging the commission of a child sex offence and the possession and distribution of category A and B child abuse images.

He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 23 June and handed an eight-year prison sentence with a further four years on licence once he is released.

Investigating officer, DC Michelle James, from Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said: "Finnis had arranged this meeting online with the intention of abusing a young child. He had even brought with him a Thor fancy dress costume as he believed this was the boy’s favourite Marvel superhero.

"Finnis described his sexual desires in great detail during online conversations and had every intention of fulfilling them. His motives were clear, and we stopped him in his tracks.

"Our team will continue to do everything we can to proactively target those people who seek to commit sexual offences against children and ensure they are brought to justice."

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A rapist who forced himself on a woman who he met on a dating app has been jailed.

Three months following the attack, Ryan Mulhern, of Hornsey Lane in Highgate, was sentenced to eight years’ and nine months imprisonment for rape and attempted rape.

Police were called to Hornsey Lane on March 21 at 9.50pm after a member of the public found the victim, 25, crying and saying she had just been raped.

She explained she met Mulhern on a dating app and went to his house to meet up.

Whilst there, he raped the victim and she repeatedly told him to stop, but he continued.

Officers searched multiple addresses and were initially unable to find Mulhern – but he was eventually arrested in Islington the day after on March 22.

The victim’s impact statement was read out in court, where she wrote: “I reported you because it was the right thing to do.

“Even now, I do not feel hatred towards you and am saddened that we are in such a situation.

“However, I hate that your actions have made me feel unsafe, empty, and unworthy of others' respect. I have to deal with the impact of your violence for the foreseeable future.

“This rape is a tragedy that could have and should have been avoided. Even if you struggle to feel remorse towards me, I hope you can understand the hurt you have caused to the ones closest to you and yourself.”

Mulhern appeared on Friday (June 23) at Snaresbrook Crown Court after pleading guilty to both offences on April 21.

Detective Sergeant Sam Lockstone, who led the investigation, said: "I hope the significant sentence handed down encourages other victims of rape to come forward, and brings the rape survivor in this case a sense of closure and justice.

“I am incredibly proud of my team for supporting the victim throughout this investigation with such professionalism.

"Arresting, charging and seeing Mulhern jailed within just three months of the incident shows the dedication and commitment our teams have in pursuing justice for these horrific offences."

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A junior doctor has been jailed for six years for his role in a dark web chat site dedicated to sharing images of child sexual abuse.

Kabir Garg, 33, from Lewisham, south-east London, pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to facilitating the exploitation of children.

Until he was arrested in November, he had been working as a psychiatrist for South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.

Garg had acted as a "moderator" of the site, the court had heard.

This involved overseeing the running of the site, which included giving advice in private messages on how to share images.

When he was arrested, the National Crime Agency (NCA) found thousands of indecent images on a laptop and SD card at his flat which had 522 category A images, which is the most serious category.

Examinations of his devices also uncovered numerous medical journals and articles that discussed the psychological impact of child sexual abuse on a child, which the NCA said showed he understood the "devastating impact such actions have on children".

'No choice'

Bethany Raine, specialist prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service's Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said his crimes were "especially shocking given his role as a NHS psychiatrist, treating vulnerable members of the public, and his understanding of the psychological impact of sexual abuse on children."

She added: "When faced with the evidence of his crimes, Garg had no choice but to plead guilty."

She said the case illustrated the determination of investigators and the CPS to pursue child sexual offenders, including those who have moved their "vile activity onto the dark web".

"These sites are horrific and have no place in society," she added.

At a hearing on 9 January 2023, Garg pleaded guilty to one count of facilitating the exploitation of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession of a prohibited image of children.

After Garg was jailed on Friday, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust said it hoped it the sentence brought a "sense of justice and closure to all those impacted by his deplorable actions".

The General Medical Council (GMC) confirmed that Garg is interim suspended "pending the conclusion of a full GMC investigation".

Upon the completion of the investigation, the GMC can refer the case to a full tribunal hearing where it will be decided if Garg will be struck off.

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Michael Knight breached a court order by lying about a mobile phone he claimed not to have, a jury at Preston Crown Court heard.

The 51-year-old also used a fake name while communicating online.

Knight had failed to notify police he was using the alias Jack Keller, which was also a breach of his notification requirements.

The breaches came to light after Knight was spotted with the phone which he had failed to notify police about.

When officers went to investigate the breach, Knight said: “I knew this would happen. It’s not a phone, it’s a battery.”

Knight had already disposed of the phone before officers arrived.

Knight, now of no fixed address but formerly from Blackburn, denied one count of breaching his notification requirements and two counts of breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

He was found guilty of all counts following a trial earlier this week.

Knight was given a sentence totalling three years.

DC Tom Dawson, of our East MOSOVO Team, said: “Despite Knight using another name to hide his true identity and disposing of a mobile smartphone he had used, such was the evidence that he was found guilty by jury of all three charges.

“I hope this sends a clear message to any registered sex offender that shows disregard for their notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order that Lancashire Police will do everything in their power to ensure they are adhered to.”

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A dangerous paedophile who identifies as a woman and has shown the utmost contempt for the legal system, his lawyers and probation, by refusing to leave his cell to attend his sentence hearing, has been jailed again.

Stuart Bulling, who was convicted in 2019 of up-skirting and making indecent images of children, refused to appear in court on Friday for his most recent hearing, in which he was to be sentenced for five counts of making indecent images of children and nine breaches of his sexual harm prevention order, which he pleaded guilty to in March.

Bob Elias, defending at Preston Crown Court, said 54-year-old Bulling, “expressed his contempt for the court, his lawyers, and me”, to which Recorder Michelle Brown said by absenting himself from court she was satisfied it was, “an attempt to disrupt proceedings”.

Paul Brookwell, prosecuting, said police visited Bulling’s home address in May last year and asked to see his devices.

Mr Brookwell said: “He was spoken to by officers and said he didn’t have any other devices other than a mobile phone.

“But police then found three SD cards, which Bulling said held ‘a lot of bad stuff’, and eventually various other devices linked to the internet which had not been registered or presented to the police when asked.

“They were examined, and VPNs and cleaning software were found on them, which had been used to access the dark web, which indicates an effort to hide his activity from others.

“Officers also found 125 category A indecent images of children (category A being the worst), 93 category B images, 42,587 category C images, seven extreme pornographic images and one prohibited image.

“Some of the children in the images were as young as three.

“There were just over 34,000 files that weren’t examined by the police due to the sheer volume that had been uncovered already.”

Mr Brookwell said police also found various videos recorded by Bulling himself, of him walking round Blackburn town centre, filming children, and while not illegal, were disturbing.

Bulling was interviewed and provided no comment, but later pleaded guilty to all the offences.

Defending, Mr Elias said: “He says he hates probation and blames his past offending on social services and probation.

“He identifies as a woman in his normal life and there were images taken by him in Blackburn Market of children.

“He says he collects these images like cigarette cards or football cards and will swap them with people.

“This is a worrying and disturbing case.”

Bulling, formerly of Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, has 11 convictions for 57 offences, all of a similar nature, including some for indecent assault and another for sexual assault on a child under the age of 13.

Michelle Brown, sentencing, said: “You were released from your 2019 sentence in September 2021 and only one month later did police receive information that you were communicating with another sex offender.

“When they arrived at your home in May last year they found three SD cards which you said contained some ‘really bad stuff’, putting you in breach of your order.

“What the police found was vile and disturbing. The fear, pain and distress these children went through is unimaginable.

“People like you create, and add to this evil market for your own pleasure and sexual gratification.

“It’s a worry, in filming children like you did, without their knowledge, that you were setting up your next victims.

“I have considered your mitigation of which there is very little, and not just because you refused to attend today but because there is little that can be said on your behalf.

“It’s clear that you are significantly high risk and I am satisfied that you present a high risk of re-offending.”

Bulling was handed an extended sentence made up of three years eight months in prison and three years on extended license, totalling six years eight months.

He was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offender’s register for life.

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A man from East Sussex who travelled to Nepal and the Philippines to sexually abuse children, and coached others online how to groom victims, has been jailed for 21 years imprisonment and seven years extended licence period.

A National Crime Agency investigation was launched in 2019 into a prolific user of a dark web child abuse site called ‘Boyvids4’, after it was identified they were likely based in the UK.

Using the pseudonym ‘Globetrotter’, the individual shared his own experiences of abusing children, and gave extremely detailed advice to a large number of users on where best to travel to find victims, as well as how to approach them.

He also gave technical guidance on encrypting devices and how to avoid detection by law enforcement.

Investigators were able to attribute the online pseudonym to David Mould, 68, who was living in Seaford and he was arrested in April 2020.

On the same day, NCA officers searched his house and workplace, seizing a large number of electronic and digital storage devices.

Mould had saved some of his chat logs from the site on a hard drive. These highlighted the standing which other paedophiles placed him in, with many thanking him for his advice.

One said: “you have been a great deal of help to me, you should write a paedo guide to help rookies like me not to make stupid mistakes and take advantage of opportunities.”

Another stated: “Well you have done just about everything except buy me a plane ticket, bring the boy to my room and unzip him… This gave me the information to come up with a real plan of attack.”

Mould had arranged to meet with that same user in Nepal and introduce him to some young boys who he had abused in the past. In later chats, the user confirms he travelled to the country, and describes how he took one of the boys back to his hotel room and engaged in sexual activity with him.

The user was identified by the NCA as an American man named Michael Taylor and this information was shared with US partners. As a result, Taylor was arrested in Nepal in March 2021 and is currently serving 14 years in prison there for child sex offences.

Investigators matched Mould’s travel history to the frequent trips to the Philippines and Nepal he discussed with other users, during which he abused children. He also had a collection of indecent images and videos of his victims.

They were also able to prove that Mould had made several payments to individuals in both countries. This included money sent to an adult in the Philippines who introduced him to children as young as 13 to abuse.

Mould travelled to Nepal four times between 2016-2019. Officers analysing his phone recovered chats with young Nepalese boys, in which he makes arrangements to meet them at his hotel when they finish school.

The NCA shared evidence from the investigation with international law enforcement. Three children have since been safeguarded in the Philippines.

In total, over 100,000 indecent images of children in categories A-C, together with four interactive paedophile manuals detailing techniques on how to abuse children and avoid detection, were recovered from one of Mould’s hard drives.

Mould pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including four counts of engaging in sexual activity with children as young as 13, and 10 relating to encouraging or inciting the exploitation of children.

He was sentenced today [23/06/2023] at Lewes Crown Court to 21 years imprisonment and seven years extended licence period. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life, placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life, a forfeiture order for the destruction of devices where indecent image of children were found and a restraining order against victims.

Hazel Stewart from the National Crime Agency said:

“David Mould is a prolific sexual predator, who dedicated his time and money to abusing children and encouraging others to do the same.

“It was clear that he was respected and admired by other like-minded individuals online, where he provided offenders with a safe environment in which their sexual inclinations were validated.

“Mould took gratification from knowing that the advice he gave led directly to others carrying out abuse.

“Offenders like him think that by travelling to remote parts of the world to conduct their abuse, and by using anonymisation techniques online, they won’t get caught.

“However, the NCA has the capabilities to identify and disrupt the most dangerous offenders. Borders are not a barrier; we work closely with international partners to ensure that Britons committing offences abroad are prosecuted in the UK and vulnerable children are safeguarded, wherever they are in the world.”

The judge commended NCA officers and law enforcement in the Philippines and Nepal.

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A MAN has been jailed for 20 months for a drunken sexual assault on a woman.

Sergejs Litvins claimed he ‘misread the situation’ after downing alcohol, Bradford Crown Court heard.

His victim suffered flashbacks after the attack and had lost her confidence.

Litvins, 27, of Thackeray Road, Idle, Bradford, pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

The court heard he had touched the woman indecently.

In his basis of plea, Litvins said that with hindsight he should have realised how the woman felt and he was truly sorry.

Barrister Abdul Shakoor, for Litvins, said: "He is bitterly remorseful for his conduct.

“He can’t understand why he behaved in the way that he did. It’s a complete aberration in his life.”

Litvins broke down in tears as Recorder Tahir Khan KC told him that an immediate custodial sentence had to be passed for such serious offending.

The judge accepted that Litvins was remorseful and that the offending was out of character but he said a consequence of the attack had been that the woman no longer felt safe.

“Given the serious impact of your offending on the complainant, I can only impose a sentence of immediate custody,” he told a distressed Litvins.

Litvins will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the next ten years.

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Caewen Ash tried to blackmail police into dropping the charges after he was caught

A former MasterChef contestant who downloaded sickening sex abuse photos of children has been jailed. Caerwyn Ash, who was a quarter finalist in the 2016 series of the popular BBC culinary series, claimed he was innocent and that a "whole list of other people” had access to his equipment, adding that “they had access to everything in the house”.

His trial heard that after the indecent images were found, he tried to blackmail the police into dropping the charges - bizarrely threatening to reveal sexually explicit material involving South Wales Police officers to the world’s media unless proceedings against him were stopped.

He was later convicted by a jury of having 20 indecent photographs of a child and five indecent videos of a child - the latter of which were all in the highest category.

On Thursday, a sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard that Ash, of Kilvey Terrace, St Thomas, Swansea, was also convicted of possessing 35 videos of extreme pornography, including acts of bestiality, and 50 still photographs in the same category. The images and videos were discovered and Ash was arrested in April 2019 following a report that had been made by his former partner, which resulted in a search of Ash's then home and the seizure of various pieces of computer equipment belonging to him.

He was interviewed by police in September 2022 and denied any knowledge of the images. The court heard he was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice - a charge which related to his attempt to blackmail police.

Prosecutor James Wilson said the aggravating features of Ash's offending included the age and vulnerability of the child depicted and the fact the collection included moving images. He said while there were no sentencing guidelines for the perverting the course of justice offence, it was "obviously a serious offence", though he noted that "nothing further happened" after the defendant presented to the police documents making the threats therein.

In mitigation, former university academic Ash, who was representing himself, first apologised to the court for his lack of preparation. He claimed that all his documents were "destroyed" the previous day and he "had no time to prepare this morning". He said he had found the experience of being prosecuted "overwhelming and traumatic" and maintained, as he had done from the start, his innocence and denied any knowledge of the images. "The defendant has always stated that if he had ever seen such an image, he would have been compelled to inform the police," he told the court.

He added that he had no previous convictions and that his and others' lives had been "destroyed" following his arrest in 2019. He also said he had done work for charity - such as for mental health and homelessness - had endured two decades in a "controlling" relationship and had been diagnosed with PTSD in prison.

Sentencing the defendant, his honour judge Wayne Beard said he did not accept Ash's statement that his threats to police was "simply an attempt to get things noticed in terms of any investigation" but that he had "no doubt that your intent was to try to bring the charges that you faced to and end." The judge said the blackmail "strikes at the heart of justice", describing it as "manipulative and cynical", though acknowledged it was "unlikely to ever succeed in any way, shape or form".

As for the images, the judge said noted Ash had continued to deny any knowledge of the images and did not accept the jury's verdict, adding: "In my judgement therefore there is no prospect at this stage of any rehabilitation taking place by means of the probation service and the types of courses they involve sex offenders in."

He noted that Ash was previously of good character and took into account his charitable works and that he had had "some level of diagnosis in prison of PTSD". He sentenced the defendant to three years in prison in total. Ash was also subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, meaning, among other requirements, that he cannot live in the same household as any child under the age of 16 unless with the permission of social services, and he will also be on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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A man from Bradford who had more than 1700 indecent images of children on his computer has been sentenced to more than three years in jail.

Julian Barnes 50, of Haycliffe Terrace pleaded guilty to seven charges all relating to indecent images of children. 

Bradford District’s Police Online Investigation Team launched an investigation when 17 indecent images were uploaded to a google account in March 2022. 

The IP address came back to Barnes home address and he was subsequently arrested, charged and remanded on 25 January 2023. 

Today (22nd June) he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 45 months in jail. 

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he must sign on the sex offender register for life.  

Officer in the case PC Kate Davis of Bradford District’s Police Online Investigation team said: 

“Barnes was in possession of the most disturbing child abuse material at the time of his arrest. 

“His collection included more than 1700 images of the most serious category. Behind every picture there is a victim of child abuse. 

“We welcome the lengthy sentence today which reflects the seriousness of his offending. 

“We are committed to protecting victims of child sexual abuse. We will find those people responsible and bring them before the courts.”

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A paedophile who abused a girl after grooming her with sweets has failed in a bid to have his prison spell reduced.

Shop worker Shibin Vimala Santhakumar, of Pipers Hill Road in Kettering, had sex with the schoolgirl and took an indecent picture of her after gradually building her trust.

In November at Northampton Crown Court he was jailed for 11 years with a further two years on licence, a sentence which he appealed against.

But on Tuesday (June 20) judges dismissed the bid and said 46-year-old Santhakumar had exploited his victim.

London’s Royal Courts of Justice heard the girl was taken advantage of when she was vulnerable.

Santhakumar gave his victim extra change and free treats before engaging in sexual activity with her. The court heard he told her he had ‘done it with a teenager before’.

Paul Webb, representing Santhakumar, said he had contributed in ‘many positive ways’ to the local community and that the circumstances which led to his offending were unlikely to happen again.

He said: "There is not a significant risk of the commission of further offences, simply because of the rarity of these circumstances that led him to make the advances he did to this poor young girl.”

The court heard that a pre-sentence assessment said Santhakumar had a low risk of reoffending but that the report’s author said she did not agree with it. Mr Webb said she should not have dismissed the assessment.

He also said that the decision to impose an extended sentence and find Santhakumar to be a ‘dangerous’ offender was inappropriate, adding that the starting point taken by the sentencing judge, using sentencing guidelines, was too high.

Mr Webb said: “These offences were isolated and opportunistic.”

When the victim reported the offences to Northamptonshire Police Santhakumar initially denied the allegations. He was later charged with sexual activity with a child, inciting sexual activity with a child and possession of indecent images of children, pleading guilty to some offences before his trial and being convicted of all remaining charges by a jury.

Appeal judges Lord Justice Males, Mr Justice Wall and Her Honour Judge Rosa Dean said they agreed with the sentencing judge’s assessment.

Lord Justice Males said: "In our judgement the sentence was not arguably manifestly excessive and the application is refused.”

Speaking after last year’s sentencing hearing lead investigator Detective Constable Chris Waterfall, from Northamptonshire Police’s child protection team, commended the victim for her courage and said her support was vital to their investigation.

He said: “This case shows that sexual offences against children do not often start with an immediate offence. Santhakumar gradually built trust with this girl through offering her free items and money off her purchases. It then escalated into this abuse.

“I welcome the sentence handed out to him as it means there is one less sexual predator on our streets and one less person able to harm children. I hope this result shows the seriousness with which Northamptonshire Police takes these offences and I want to reassure the public that we will continue to work hard to bring people like Santhakumar to justice.”

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A child rapist has been jailed after detectives led an international manhunt to track him down.

Abbas Alsaed, 28, from Kingsbury, pleaded guilty to eight counts of rape and sexual assault at Harrow Crown Court on 1 December 2022 and was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 years in prison.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

The Met Police said Alsaed met his victim, an 11-year-old girl, in Fryent Country Park, Wembley in May 2021 when he told her he was a child protection officer and proceeded to befriend the victim before taking her mobile phone number.

He then met her in the park over the following year where he raped and sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions.

Police were called after concerns were raised by a member of staff at the victim’s school but Alsaed fled the country before he could be arrested.

Officers from the Met’s Predatory Offender Unit tracked him to the Netherlands and he was then arrested at St Pancras station when he returned to the country on August 15 last year.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Qamar Islam from the North West Command Unit said: “Alsaed is a dangerous and manipulative individual, who took advantage of a vulnerable child in order to carry out terrible crimes, which will live with the victim forever.

“I would like to commend the courage and bravery of the victim, who after enduring such traumatic abuse, spoke with officers and found the strength to assist with this investigation.

“These crimes were reported to the Met in June 2022 and resulted in an arrest less than two months later. A successful investigation ensued due to diligent and efficient work by a number of officers involved in this case.

“I truly hope that the result today will reassure victims of rape and sexual assault, that we will do everything within our power to investigate and prosecute predatory men at the earliest possible opportunity.”

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A 48-year-old man from Bushey is facing more than three years in jail after he was snared in a paedophile sting.

Peter McCann, of Pinfold Road, Bushey, was arrested in Watford on November 5 after attempting to incite a child into sexual activity.

He was jailed for three years and nine months on Monday (June 19) when he appeared at St Albans Crown Court.

Volunteer group Innocent Voices had carried out a sting after another team sent them an evidence file with messages he had exchanged with an adult “decoy”.

He was then detained by the group and arrested by Hertfordshire police, in Park Avenue, Bushey.

McCann pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child into sexual activity on December 19, 2022.

He was also sentenced over making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child for an overall sentence of 45 months imprisonment.

A sexual harm prevention order was made and he was added to the sex offenders register, both indefinitely.

The indecent images fell under categories B and C, meaning images involving non-penetrative sexual activity and not involving sexual activity respectively.

Izzy Hunter, from Innocent Voices, said her team were “really happy” to see a prison sentence in the case.

The Hertfordshire resident said: “I’m glad it was dealt with relatively quickly but also that it was a prison sentence.

“Only with that is there really a deterrent. The sentences are getting more serious, more prison sentences and less suspended sentences, which are not really a deterrence as they carry on their lives as normal.

“I’m also really happy that he is indefinitely on the register as that will always be around with him.”

She added that it is often a “postcode lottery” whether people caught in similar stings are bailed or remanded, as well as whether the cases are dealt with quickly or drag on for years without sentences or restrictions.

Hertfordshire police is usually one of the more proactive forces, she added.

Mrs Hunter is involved in dealing with an offender once a week, on average, and said the amount of people attempting these crimes online is “non-stop”.

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A FORMER deputy head teacher at a prominent London school previously attended by royals has pleaded guilty to financially rewarding Indian teenagers for sending him indecent images of children.

Matthew Smith, 34, from East Dulwich, admitted to 22 charges, including having instructed teenagers in India online to abuse younger children while he was working in Nepal.

The “prolific offender” who appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday (20) will be sentenced on August 4.

Smith, who briefly worked at the £20,000-a-year Thomas’s Battersea school in London where Prince George and Princess Charlotte once studied, was arrested in November last year after investigators discovered that he had been sharing abuse material on the dark web during his stay in Nepal.

He was online at the time of his arrest, speaking to a boy living in India and asking him to send sexual images of a younger child, in return for money, the National Crime Agency said.

Officers recovered more than 120,000 indecent images of children which the Oxford University graduate had saved on a laptop, SD card and on his phone.

Smith was remanded in custody, charged with five offences, including causing the sexual exploitation of a child under 13.

Investigators established that Smith had paid the boy and another teenager, also based in India, £65,398 to abuse children over five years.

He worked in orphanages and non-governmental organisations across India between 2007-2014 before he shifted to Nepal where taught at Kathmandu’s British School.

He returned to London in July 2022 and started working at Thomas’s Battersea where he was a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care before he was fired two months later.

Investigators found that Smith would instruct the young men via chat logs to perform sexual acts on boys and would send them images and videos as examples of ones he would like to receive in return.

He also told one of them how to befriend children and build their trust with a view to abuse them, the NCA said.

Information and evidence of potential offending by Smith against children while working in India have been shared with relevant law enforcement partners.

However, there is no evidence to suggest he committed offences against children based in Nepal or Britain.

Claire Brinton, a specialist in the Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit of the Crown Prosecution Service said Smith’s crimes were “particularly disturbing” given his role as a primary school teacher.

“Thousands of images and videos were recovered from his devices which showed an appalling catalogue of sexual abuse being perpetrated on children,” she said.

A Thomas’s Battersea spokesperson said the school was “shocked and appalled beyond measure” by Smith’s actions and thanked the investigators for bringing him to justice.

His employment at the school, which began in September 2022, was terminated soon after it learned of the charges against him in November, the spokesperson said.

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A sick barman used ‘JimmySavile’ as the password on the account he used to download 2,000 indecent images of children.

Iain Syme’s illegal hoard referenced the disgraced former television star, who is widely understood to be one of the country’s most prolific sex offenders.