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Phillip Leivers – Skegness

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June 2014

Phillip Leivers child rape trial: Former East Lindsey councillor admits touching young girl

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A former Lincolnshire councillor accused of raping a nine-year-old girl admitted touching her after a game to guess the colour of her underwear. 

Phillip Leivers, 79, the former manager of the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre, claimed he met the girl after she felt unwell at the cinema and walked her home. 

Leivers started letting her into the venue to see bands and films for free – and she would visit him in his office. 

The jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Leivers claim he’d only touched the youngster on two occasions, the first when she was 11 or 12-years-old. 

Leivers said: “It was when she was starting at secondary school. She came in her school uniform and she did look lovely. She really was a very pretty girl. 

“It was a brown uniform, with a brown skirt and everything, and I said ‘I suppose you’ve got brown knickers on as well’.

“She said no, and I said they must be dark blue, and she said no, and then I said maybe white, and she said no. 

“I said ‘well you’ll have to show me then’, and she did.” 

Leivers claimed the game continued as he touched the girl. 

He said: “I felt extremely embarrassed, I said ‘you’d better get on home’, I thought no one will believe that happened. 

“We got on extremely well. I did see myself as a bit of a father figure actually.” 

Leivers said he had only one other physical encounter with the girl. 

She turned up at his house early in the morning on a hot summer’s day a few years later – and they took a shower together. 

Ian McLoughlin, prosecuting, said: “You gave her tickets and sweets and money, what did she have to give you in return for that?” 

Leivers replied: “Nothing, she was a lovely girl and I can’t believe she’s gone into the witness box to say there was sexual intercourse.” 

The alleged victim said in a statement she was sitting at home watching a BBC News broadcast when she saw Leivers as a councillor talking about wind turbines being built in his district. 

She went to the police. 

Leivers, who represented Chapel St Leonards on East Lindsey District Council, resigned from his post following allegations in October last year. 

Leivers, of Maplebeck, Sea Bank Road, Skegness, Lincolnshire, denies seven counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and five counts of indecency with a child.

The trial continues……….


Stephen Lange – Southampton

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June 2014

Child abuse images shame for Southampton man

Shift worker Stephen Lange looked at sordid pictures of children, Southampton Crown Court heard.

He later took the machine for repair at specialist dealers, complaining it had been infected with a virus.

But when the engineer switched it on, he immediately discovered the indecent images and contacted the police, said prosecutor Rachel Robertson.

Lange, 61, of Bedford Place, Southampton, admitted 12 charges of making 58 indecent images.

Judge Derwin Hope heard some of the children involved were as young as three, and about a third of the images involved penetrative sex.

Lange, of previous good character, received a 12 months suspended sentence with 12 months’ supervision and a £100 victim surcharge fee as well as an order to do 120 hours’ community work.

He was further placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years and made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order to run indefinitely.

Chris Gaiger, defending, said that Lange had been looking at adult pornography when curiosity got the better of him to look at the other images.

He said: “He is deeply ashamed and remorseful. He should have turned the computer off. He sent the images into temporary Internet files but didn’t know how to retrieve them.”

Mr Gaiger added: “He doesn’t want to have another computer so temptation won’t come his way again.

Robert Kirkham – Wrexham

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June 2014

A convicted murderer has been jailed for 10 years for raping and indecently assaulting a 13 year old schoolboy in the 1990s.

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Robert John Kirkham committed the offences in the Wrexham area and took advantage of the fact he knew where young boys would be fishing unsupervised, Mold Crown Court heard. Some of the offences took place in a shed.

Kirkham, 64, of Llys Colwyn, Old Colwyn, denied rape and four charges of indecent assault on a 13 year old male in 1996 but was convicted by the jury.

Judge Niclas Parry gave him a nine-year sentence for the rape and 12 months for the indecent assaults. He also ordered that Kirkham register as a sex offender for life.

The judge said the victim was in his early teens and vulnerable because of his age.

There had been a significant degree of planning and he created opportunities to be alone with the boy when the rape occurred.

The defendant increased his demands upon him and used him for his own sexual gratification.

“You quite clearly have an unhealthy interest in young boys,” the judge told him.

The jury was not told until after the verdict that Kirkham was convicted at Chester Crown Court of  murder in 1982. He had suffocated an elderly woman while stealing from her home.

David Williams, defending, told the court that his client had served 27 years in prison. He was released on licence in 1996 when the sexual offences occurred.

In 1999 Kirkham was convicted of sexual offences against another boy, which occurred at the same time as the current case, and received a 12 month sentence – but had been recalled on the murder sentence licence and served a further 12 years.

He had been recalled again after his arrest for the current case last year – and Mr Williams said that bearing in mind his age “he is not going to be released until he is well in his 70s”.

The defendant was on supervised licence following his murder conviction and the judge said that he would therefore not make a SOPO, a sexual offences prevention order.

After the case, DI Kelly Isaacs of Amethyst Team (North Wales Police Dedicated Sexual Offences Team) welcomed the sentence and commended the victim who found the courage to report these crimes.

DI Isaacs said “Kirkham was a predator who abused the vulnerability and trust of a young boy.

“It’s important the public know that victims of crime will receive the full support ofNorth Wales Police and its partner agencies regardless of the passage of time between offence and reporting. It is never too late to seek justice.”

If a victim does not feel ready to report to the Police then services can be accessed through the confidential Amethyst SARC Helpline on 0808 156 3658.

James Bright – Reading

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June 2014

West Reading man admits raping 13-year-old boy on first day of trial

James Bright, of Strathy Close, had previously denied the offence which happened on January 9, 2013, but the 20-year-old changed his plea to guilty at Reading Crown Court on Monday

Judge Nicholas Wood adjourned the case for a psychological and pre-sentence report to be carried out.

Bright was given conditional bail to appear before the same court for sentencing on Friday, August 22. Judge Wood told him he must expect a prison sentence.

Martin Locke – Hythe/Folkestone

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June 2014

Former deputy head’s vile child sex offences revealed

THE full catalogue of vile child sex offences carried out by a depraved former deputy head of a Folkestone school has been detailed in court.

Foster carer Martin Locke, of Tanners Hill Gardens in Hythe, appeared before Canterbury Crown Court this morning having pleaded guilty to a string of charges last year.

Judge Adele Williams was told how the former Channel School stored a stash of indecent images on his computer, gave “like-minded people” access to children’s underwear and took pictures up the skirts of young girls.

Locke, who is married, admitted sending nine indecent images of young girls to another man on October 14.

Between that day and October 17, he arranged to meet and have sexual activity with an 11-year-old girl, and also a seven-year-old girl.

He was also involved in arranging sexual activity with an 18-month-old girl took pictures of another youngster while she was asleep.

The revelations came about from an “undercover” operation in which police officers posed as “contacts” to obtain the evidence to prosecute the 64-year-old.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on a female, one of sexual assault by penetration on a female, one of paying for sexual services of a female child and two of committing an act which would outrage public decency.

Locke admitted to the 19 counts last year and is due to be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.

December 2013

A FOSTER carer has pleaded guilty to a string of child sex and child abuse images offences.

Martin Locke admitted to one count of distributing or showing indecent photographs of a child, three of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and one of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on December 6.

Locke, 63, of Tanners Hill Gardens, is due to be sentenced in the new year for his crimes, all of which were committed within five days in October this year.

Locke, who is married, admitted sending nine indecent images of young girls to another man on October 14. Between that day and October 17, he arranged to meet and have sexual activity with an 11-year-old girl, and also a seven-year-old girl.

He was also involved in arranging sexual activity with an 18-month-old girl.

The final charge Locke admitted was that he “for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, intentionally engaged in sexual activity” while a child aged under 13 was present, between October 17 and 18.

It adds that he admitted to “twitching” in the presence of the child, while pretending to read a newspaper, and “knowing or believing” that the child was aware of his activity.

Trevor Paddon-Hall – Bere Alston

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February 2014

Brave sex attack victim speaks out after facing tormentor in court

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A SEXUAL assault victim today bravely spoke out to encourage others to report abuse after facing her tormentor in court.

Married church-goer Trevor Paddon-Hall was handed a suspended prison sentence for assaulting the girl in his car on moorland.

The judge praised the courage of the youngster in her fight for justice lasting almost six years – including giving evidence at two trials.

Paddon-Hall, aged 59, had denied touching her indecently but was convicted by a jury at Plymouth Crown Court.

The youngster, who cannot be named, said after the sentencing: “All I really wanted to say to any boys or girls or anyone out there is that, if anything else like this has happened to you, I want them to come forward and tell someone.

“I don’t want anyone to be afraid of the system and what they will have to go through, but to have a bit of courage, because you can get a good result.

“To have one more person that is known about, then that is a good result.

“I am satisfied with the sentence and I just wanted to stop him being with children or other vulnerable people.”

Judge Paul Darlow told the court: “I salute the courage of (girl’s name) in seeing this through when others would not have done.”

The court heard that the girl quickly told family friends about the incident in April 2008. They told her mother, but the incident was not reported to the police at the time.

Officers uncovered the crime several years later when an allegation was shouted at a public event.

The case was listed four times for trial starting from February 2012 and the girl twice gave evidence over the videolink. But earlier hearings were abandoned and Paddon-Hall was not convicted until last December.

Jason Beal, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the youngster said she felt “worthless” after the assault.

He added she told police: “Not a single day has been easy.”

The youngster said after the sentencing: “I just want to move on with my life, put it behind and start afresh. I want to restart my life where it could and should have been.”

A JUDGE told Paddon-Hall he took advantage of the girl down a country lane.

Plymouth Crown Court heard she was a passenger in his car when he drove down a lane on the edge of Dartmoor.

Judge Paul Darlow told him: “You isolated a vulnerable young girl in a car down a country lane and took the opportunity to sexually attack her.”

He added that the victim had been taking anti-depressants and had received counselling.

Paddon-Hall, of Marythorne Road, Bere Alston, had denied sexually assaulting the girl as she sat in his front passenger seat in April 2008.

The former charity worker claimed that he could not have been driving the car in April 2008 because he had his left arm in a cast.

But the jury found him guilty after a four-day trial.

Supported by his wife in court, he entered the dock for the sentencing hearing carrying a bag packed for jail.

But he left with a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years, with 18 months of probation supervision. Paddon-Hall must also pay £800 towards the prosecution costs.

Ali Rafati, for Paddon-Hall, said he suffered from a number of medical ailments, including dropping syndrome, which leads to sudden falls, angina and high blood pressure.

He added that if he were sent to jail he would not receive the treatment which could be provided by the probation service in the community.

Mr Rafati said that he had been an ambulance driver and then worked for charity, leading mercy missions to take aid to impoverished countries around the world.

But he said: “He and his wife are pretty much on the breadline.This is what he will be remembered for, rather than the good work he has done before.”

 

Paul Wilkinson – Bradford

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June 2014

Man, 41, took indecent photos of schoolgirl, jury in sex abuse trial told

A MAN on trial accused of sexually abusing two ten-year-old schoolgirls has admitted photographing one of them while she posed indecently.

Paul Wilkinson told the jury at Bradford Crown Court today he was disgusted with himself after directing the child to pull up her skirt and expose her naked body while he took pictures on two separate occasions.

Wilkinson, 41, of Broadstone Way,Holme Wood, Bradford, has pleaded guilty to an offence of taking indecent photos of the girl.

He denies six further charges, including one of rape, two of attempted rape, two of sexual assault and one of taking indecent photographs of a second child.

He was on trial accused of a second rape but that charge was dropped by Judge Neil Davey QC at the close of the prosecution case yesterday and a new alternative offence of attempted rape substituted.

Wilkinson, who used to work at Cash Converters in Bradford, told the jury he had no sexual interest in the girls.

He denied an allegation from the first child that he took indecent photos of her while she wore a pink skirt.

Wilkinson said he had never had leather bedding, as she claimed, and did not show her a sex film.

The court has been told that no indecent pictures of her had been found in the defendant’s possession.

He says he was almost never alone with either of the children.

Questioned by his barrister, Tina Landale, Wilkinson said that taking the sexually explicit photos of the second girl was “a spur of the moment thing.”

“I took a few photos and I deeply regret my actions: I am disgusted by my actions,” he said.

He agreed he went on to take another set of similar pictures of her three months later.

“I made it into a game with her, of messing about,” he said.

Wilkinson declined to answer police questions when he was arrested earlier this year but his solicitor handed in a prepared statement.

“I was confused, upset and very angry that the allegations had been made about me,” he told the court.

Cross-examined by Ian Howard, prosecuting, Wilkinson said he began collecting pornography after becoming depressed.

He kept the indecent photos of the girl in a file on his computer, hoping that because they were of a real person they would jolt him back to reality.

Mr Howard alleges Wilkinson undressed the girls before sexually abusing them at different addresses in Bradford, when one was aged nine or ten and the second ten years old.

Wilkinson is accused of raping the first girl, sexually assaulting her and trying to rape her again, all on one occasion.

The Crown says that some years later, he attempted to rape the second girl and sexually assaulted her.

The trial continues.

Alistair McGow – Dubbieside/Leven

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June 2014

Methil man in therapy after being caught downloading indecent child images

A 54-year-old Methil man has sought help from a psychotherapist after being caught downloading indecent images of children.

Alistair McGow, of Dubbieside, who had no previous convictions, has lost his job and seen his daughter refuse to speak to him since his arrest.

Police officers discovered 21 images ranging from levels one to four on his computer, which showed male and female children aged nine to 14 engaged in sexual acts.

Solicitor Mark Harrower said his client had started looking at the images after viewing adult pornography.

Police received information that a device had accessed indecent material of children via the internet from McGow’s home address.

When interviewed by officers, McGow admitted using a file sharing system called Limerunner and searching for terms such as Lita, young and preteen.

McGow revealed that he had downloaded and viewed videos but had deleted them and removed them from his computer’s recycle bin so that his partner could not find them.

He also admitted that he knew keyword search terms associated with material depicting the abuse of children.

When his computer was searched the indecent images were discovered in thumbnail cache files, which could only be viewed using special forensic software.

Depute fiscal Claire Bremner said there had been no specific software found which would securely erase deleted data.

Mr Harrower told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court: “He was a plant manager at a plant in Kirkcaldy but lost his job in mid May as he wasn’t able to function properly with this hanging over him.

“He was looking at adult pornography and sometimes that throws up illegal images and he accepts that he went back to look at them.”

He said his client was engaged with Stop it Now! Scotland, a national programme for the prevention of sexual abuse, and was seeing a private psychotherapist as well.

McGow admitted that between April 29 2013 and October 29 2013 at his home address in Dubbieside, Methil, he took or permitted to be taken or made indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.

Sheriff James Williamson placed McGow on the sex offenders register and deferred sentence for the preparation of social work reports.


Christopher Barrow – Weymouth

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June 2014

Jail for pervert who groomed molested girl aged 14

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A 29-year-old Weymouth man who groomed and then molested a schoolgirl has been jailed for 13 months.

Christopher Barrow, pictured, travelled to meet the child after booking them into a hotel for New Year’s Eve after making contact online.

But when one of her concerned friends told an older sister what was going on the police were brought in and he was arrested at The Angel Hotel in Chippenham.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday that the child was still 14 years old when she put a message on social media site Kik last year.

“She put out a general invitation for people to talk to her and he answered that invitation. They seem to have got on well,” he said.

Although the girl made it clear from the outset that she was 14, and he said he was a pub manager aged 28 or 29, the correspondence soon took a sexual tone.

In a game of truth or dare they asked each a series of questions starting with her wanting to know if he would cuddle her.

He said he would and then asked if she were over 16 if she would have sex with him.

“It is clear at all times he knew she was under the age of 16. There was an arrangement to meet on or about her 15th birthday in July last year.”

Mr Meeke said that had not taken place because her parents had other plans but in September and October she and Barrow hatched the plan for New Year’s Eve.

He booked a room at the hotel and she met him at the train station on December 31, having told her family she would be staying with friends that night.

During the messaging she had told him she wanted to wait until she was 16 to lose her virginity, but after kissing and cuddling in the room he sexually touched her.

Mr Meeke said after meeting up with him some of her friends, who knew what was going on, tried to text her but got no reply.

After she eventually replied to the texts they went to find her, as they were concerned for her safety, and one of the friends then mentioned it to her older sister.

A policeman was at the reception the next day when Barrow walked past and when asked if he knew the girl’s age he answered ‘no comment’, and was promptly arrested.

Barrow, of Reedling Close, Weymouth, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Mike Jeary, defending, said his client had been honest about what he did with the police and was willing to go on the Thames Valley Sex Offenders course.

He said he was a well educated man but had drifted from job to job and had plainly groomed the girl before meeting her.

Jailing him Judge Tim Mousley QC said: “I am satisfied there was a degree of grooming towards her and it only came to an end when a friend’s older sister contacted the police.”

He jailed him for 12 months for the sex offences with a month added on for failing to surrender to custody last week.

He also imposed a sexual offences prevention order restricting his liberty and told him he must register as a sex offender for ten years.

Shaun Williams – Bournemouth

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June 2014

Pervert admits taking and showing indecent photos of child – Suspended sentence given

Shaun Mervyn Williams aged 49 of Frost Road, Bournemouth admitted taking an indecent photograph of a child.

He was committed to prison for 10 weeks but it was suspended for 12 months.

He was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and costs of £85.

Williams also admitted showing an indecent photograph of a child. For that charge he was committed to prison for 10 weeks concurrent and that was also suspended for 12 months. The judge gave him a restraining order made.

The defendant must reside at Frost Road within the supervision period of 12 months and attend appointments as and when required.

David Paterson – Dunfermline

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June 2014

Dunfermline man tells court he downloaded indecent images because of TV

A Dunfermline man has claimed he downloaded indecent images of children out of curiosity after seeing such behaviour mentioned on TV.

David Paterson, 48, Inverewe Place, was found to have 94 moving images, rated across levels one to four, on two different hard disk drives linked to his computer. Only 13 were still accessible to the accused.

Police computer forensic officers also discovered 15 still images at level one and a single image at level three.

At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Paterson admitted that between September 28 and October 2 last year, at his home address, he took, or permitted to be taken or made, indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.

He also pleaded guilty to, between September 28 and October 17, having indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.

Sheriff James Williamson deferred sentence for social work reports. He placed Paterson on the sex offenders register and released him on bail.

David Metcalfe – Barton

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June 2014

Ex-Humberside police worker lured girls to his swimming pool & filmed them

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A SERIAL sex offender who had worked for the police has been jailed for 10 years after raping one girl and secretly filming others.

He had a “deviant” interest in children and deliberately engineered opportunities to film young girls naked and when they were taking showers, a court heard.

David Metcalfe, 48, admitted raping a girl under 13.

He also admitted voyeurism, making indecent photographs of children, attempting to take such photographs and possessing indecent images of children, between 2009 and 2012.

Richard Gioserano, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that Metcalfe liked to “give the impression that he was a police officer” and some of the people who had dealings with him believed he was a policeman.

“He would come and go in a police car,” said Mr Gioserano.

“He did work for Humberside Police – but as a driver and handyman.”

Metcalfe, of Millfields, Barton, used a swimming pool in his back garden at the time as a “magnet” to attract the interest of young girls.

He also offered to spray tan and tattoo them. He raped a young girl in the bathroom on one of these occasions.

Metcalfe also targeted other girls and sometimes gave them money. They were given spray tans, but Metcalfe would be secretly filming them.

On one occasion, he tried to film a female with his mobile phone, but she noticed it was set to “record” and switched it off. The police were alerted and the offences involving filming girls naked in the shower came to light.

There were eight victims in all – one of them an adult, the court heard.

He also accessed child abuse images and images were found on his computer when he was arrested in September 2012. Gordon Stables, mitigating, said Metcalfe made admissions, pleaded guilty and was a low risk of reoffending.

“He would prefer not to face his own shortcomings and demons, but realises he has to and this will be a painful process,” said Mr Stables.

“He will seek and take that help during his custodial sentence.”

Judge Mark Bury told Metcalfe: “You are, by your own admission, a sexual deviant. You have a sexual interest in children.

“The whole idea of you having a tanning studio and a tattoo centre was to engineer opportunities for you to obtain sexual gratification from observing naked or near-naked young girls.”

The rape of the girl had been a “traumatic experience” for her and had a “profound effect” upon her.

Judge Bury said of the voyeurism and filming offences: “They had absolutely no idea of what you were doing and the knowledge you were doing it has come as a complete shock. It was a complete betrayal of them.”

Metcalfe, who had no previous convictions, was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and will be on extended licence for five years after his release from prison.

Peter Mahoney – Lutterworth

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June 2014

Man, 70, guilty of sex offences against two young schoolgirls

A 70-year-old man has been convicted by a jury of sex offences against two young schoolgirls.

Peter Mahoney was found guilty of five counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13. The victims were aged between seven and nine.

He was found not guilty of one count of sexually assaulting one of the girls and cleared of two counts of sexually assaulting a third child.

Mahoney, of Spring Close, Lutterworth, denied the charges, claiming the allegations were untrue and the victims were telling lies.

In his police interview, he claimed it was “a conspiracy”.

The indecency involved him sexually touching the youngsters, during a two to three-year period.

Rebecca Herbert, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court when the defendant was arrested at home, he tried to conceal a computer memory stick.

The device was found to contain indecent and abusive video clips of children.

Miss Herbert told the jury: “The prosecution say you can be sure this is a man who clearly has a sexual interest in children, demonstrated by his inappropriate touching of the victims.

“The defendant says they are lying about incidents that were merely innocent touches.

“It just so happens he was found in possession of a quantity of indecent material, which he tried to conceal, which utterly demonstrates his sexual interest in children.”

At an earlier hearing, prior to the trial, Mahoney pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of a child, relating to three video clips, one at level three, one at level four and one in the most serious category, level five.

He also admitted possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Sentencing in relation to the abuse and the child pornography is due to take place on July 4.

After the verdicts, Judge Lynn Tayton told Mahoney: “I am adjourning for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

“I want to know what risk you might pose in the future and want to understand more about your background.

“All options are open but you must expect a custodial sentence will be considered.”

After being granted bail, Mahoney left court, saying: “It’s a farce.”

Father offered to abuse his young daughter over live webcam

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June 2014

Father offered to abuse his young daughter over live webcam

The father of a young girl was arrested as he was about to sexually abuse her on an internet webcam, a court heard.

He had been in contact through an internet chat room with a person who he believed shared his interest in sexual activity with infants.

However, the person he was conversing with was an undercover police officer in another jurisdiction.

When he told the undercover officer that his wife was out shopping and that he would abuse his daughter live on webcam, gardai were contacted.

The man was arrested and the child was taken into care under Section 12 of the Child Care Act.

The details of the father’s alleged activities, and his arrest, were given in the course of an application in the district court by the Health Service Executive (HSE) for a Care Order for the child.

However, the mother opposed the application.

During the Care Order hearing the court heard that the father had first met his wife, the child’s mother, in another jurisdiction when she was 13 or 14 years old, and had embarked on a sexual relationship with her.

He was 12 years older than she was and ran a business providing discos to schools and running an Internet radio station. She became pregnant when she was 17 and gave birth to the child when she was 18.

The Child and Family Agency (CFA) case centred on the belief that the mother had been groomed by the father as a child, and was under his influence.

Therefore she could not guarantee the child’s safety.

The court heard evidence of the mother showing photographs of the father to the child and asking her to kiss them.

There were also allegations that the child had already been abused by the father, and that the mother was aware of this and may have participated in the abuse.

This was denied by the mother, who during the trial said she accepted that the father was responsible for child pornography on his computer, and that he had possibly abused their child. She undertook to take out a permanent barring order against him.

Psychologists gave extensive evidence on the risk posed to the child by both parents.

The judge described it as “a very complex case involving serious matters, including allegations of the most serious nature”.

“Some of the evidence heard was most disturbing and upsetting.”

The father had left the jurisdiction following his arrest and played no part in the proceedings. The case has not yet been finalised.

The judge ordered a specialist assessment of the child’s disclosures before making his final ruling.

The full summary of the case

Care Order sought after father offered on-line to abuse his child

Summary

The father of a very young girl was arrested as he was about to sexually abuse her on an internet webcam. He had been in contact through an internet chat room with a person who he believed shared his interest in sexual activity with infants. The person he was conversing with was an undercover police officer in another jurisdiction.

When he told the undercover police officer that his wife was out shopping and that he would abuse his daughter live on webcam, the police contacted the Garda Siochana, who arrested him and took the child into care under Section 12 of the Child Care Act.

The details of the father’s activities and his arrest were given in the course of an application in the District Court by the HSE for a Care Order for the child, who had been placed with foster carers under an Interim Care Order. The mother opposed the Care Order application. The father left the jurisdiction following his arrest and played no part in the proceedings. The case has not yet been finalised.

During the Care Order hearing the court heard that the father had first met his wife, the child’s mother, in another jurisdiction when she was 13 or 14 years old, and had embarked on a sexual relationship with her when she was 16. He was 12 years older than she was and ran a business providing discos to schools and running an Internet radio station. She became pregnant when she was 17 and gave birth to the child when she was 18.

The CFA case centred on the belief that the mother had been groomed by the father as a child and was under his influence and therefore could not guarantee the child’s safety if she was returned to her. The court heard evidence of the mother showing photos of the father to the child at access and asking her to kiss them.

There were also allegations that the child had already been abused by the father, and that the mother was aware of this and may have participated in the abuse. This was strongly denied by the mother, who during the trial said she accepted that the father was responsible for child pornography on his computer and had possibly abused their child.

Both the social worker and the guardian ad litem suggested that the mother was reminding the child of abuse at access.

Psychologists gave extensive evidence on the risk posed to the child by both parents. The psychologist who examined the mother said she did not think she could protect the child from the father. The expert who examined the father said that if the father was responsible for the images on his computer he was a very significant danger to children, and he considered him ready to involve the mother in the abuse of the child. “I believe he has lied about many aspects of his behaviour. He has a significant interest in children,” he said.

The case had been heard over 20 days, extended over more than a three-month period, and the judge described it as “a very complex case involving serious matters including allegations of the most serious nature. Some of the evidence heard was most disturbing and upsetting,” he said.

He ordered a specialist assessment of the child’s disclosures before making his final ruling.

Hearing

The Garda who arrested the father said he denied that he was about to abuse his daughter. He cried and said she was the love of his life. When the Garda arrested him his wife was present. She asked her husband was it true and he said no. The Garda said he did not hear her express any anger towards her husband. The father was released from custody the following day and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The gardai seized a large number of computers and other electronic equipment from the home and subsequent analysis of a laptop revealed a video which showed the abuse of an Asian child aged about two years by an unidentified man. The father denied any knowledge of it and suggested his computer had either been hacked or used by a neighbour who had access to it.

The father has now returned to his country of origin and was not participating in the care order proceedings. The mother had also left this jurisdiction but returned to Ireland for the hearing of the Care Order application and was represented by the Legal Aid Board with senior and junior counsel.

The court heard evidence that the father had previously been arrested in another jurisdiction and questioned about his relationship with the mother, who at that stage was under-age, and on another occasion he had been arrested and questioned about having indecent images on his computer but he was not charged with any offence.

A member of the Garda Siochana Paedophile Investigation Unit, who oversaw the investigation and co-ordinated the Garda response, said the mother seemed quite detached at the time of her husband’s arrest. She didn’t make any eye contact with her and she was playing with the family dog.

The Garda said she had seen wives verbally attack husbands and question gardai quite vociferously in similar circumstances but the reaction of this wife was quite different. “She didn’t give any reaction. I found it quite unusual,” she said. The Garda said the mother was not a suspect in relation to the collection and distribution of child pornography.

Social worker evidence

A social worker with the Child and Family Agency said she was the duty social worker on the day of the arrest and she described attending the house and speaking to the mother about her husband being engaged on-line with an undercover police officer and stating that he was going to abuse his daughter and post it live online. “She was very flat and defensive with the gardai and asked them to prove it and show her the evidence,” she said.

The social worker said the mother was not really taking on board the concerns for the safety of the child. The court was told that there were 15 gardai in the house at the time as well as HSE staff. The child engaged immediately with them and asked for their names. “There were a lot of guards in different rooms and A (the child) wandered around the house. The child was oblivious to what was going on. This was quite unusual for a child of that age. Usually they would want to cling close to their mother,” she said.

When the gardai handed the child over to the HSE/CFA she was taken to a nearby hospital, which the child had been attending regularly as she had complex medical needs. She was discharged two days later into the care of her foster carers. The social worker said she and her team leader met with the child’s parents on the same day and they outlined their concerns about the Garda information that the father was about to sexually abuse his daughter online.

The father denied it and was “very emotional” while the mother was “quite emotionless”. She said she was still in a relationship with her husband and that the gardai had not shown any evidence to her. The husband was “in total denial of what the guards had said to him,” she said.

The social worker said the mother told her that her relationship with her husband began when she was 14 and he was 12 years older. She said a sexual relationship commenced with him when she was 16. “We said she had been groomed by him,” she stated.

She said the mother continually advocated contact between the father and their daughter in the weeks after she was taken into care. “I was concerned about this advocacy. I thought it was unusual,” she said. The mother was minimising the concerns which existed about the father and the social worker said that up to the end of her involvement in the case about two months after the arrest she had ongoing concerns about the father. She also had concerns that the mother might have been involved in taking photographs and other forms of abuse of the child.

She said the mother would not follow directions or listen to the advice that was being given about not taking photographs of the child during access. She was not focusing on her relationship with the child during access but was instead focusing on the child’s relationship with her father and she was getting her to write pictures for him.

The social worker was very unclear about the couple’s relationship. They separated, were back together, separated again and then he left the country. “There seemed to be in a lot of contact.” She said she reminded the mother of the need to place the child first but that she would continue to advocate on the father’s behalf and sought access for him. She got her daughter to write to him and put kisses on the bottom of letters.

Disclosures to foster carers

About a month after the child was taken into care, the social worker said she was contacted by the foster carer about disclosures which the child had made to her. While the foster carer was assisting the child in going to the toilet, she had become upset. She talked about falling into the toilet at home and of her mother and father taking photographs of her. The foster carer said when she was changing the child on the bed, she had spread her legs and was touching herself. She said the child told her she had been photographed doing this. The social worker said she had grave concerns for the child. “Our hope initially was that we had saved her but we were now concerned that abuse had occurred and she would be at serious risk if she was returned.”

The foster carer gave evidence that the child told her how she fell into the toilet and that she cried and her father took photographs of her. While she was lying on the bed naked from the waist down she was asked by the foster carer, who was putting a nappy on the child, if her father had take pictures of her like that. She said he had taken pictures of her on the floor. When the foster carer asked her if she was naked at the time she said “Yes, I was a nudie girl.” She said that when she had fallen into the toilet, her mother had laughed and her father had taken a photograph.

Two days later, the foster carer was about to put on a nappy and the child, who was lying on the bed, again referred to the incident where she fell into the toilet. She said she had cried and that her mammy and daddy had taken pictures. “I laid her on her bed and (the child) put her hand down and was touching herself. She was touching her clitoris, she was twiddling her finger, lying down with her legs out. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was checking her ‘rice krispie’. I asked her who showed her that and she said her mummy and daddy. I asked did daddy take a picture and she said yes and laughed.”

The foster carer told of an occasion when they were planning to go to a restaurant for an evening meal. Earlier in the day the child would not eat a sandwich and the foster carer told her that if she did not eat the sandwich she could not go to the restaurant and she would have to get a babysitter for that evening. The child asked would it be a man babysitter and the foster carer asked what man babysitter. The child said the one that hurt her. She said he slapped her and she pointed to her bottom. “I asked her did he do anything else and she said he turned her into a baby and put a doody in her mouth.”

When the witness told another foster child that she would get a babysitter for him if he didn’t behave the child who is the subject of these proceedings said to him: “You don’t want one of them. They hurt you, they stick needles up your butt.” When the foster carer asked her who did that, she said it was a baby sitter.

Gardai interview child

Access with the mother was suspended while specialist garda interviewers met the child. One of them gave evidence that at the first meeting the child had engaged well with them but became angry and refused to talk about her parents when shown a photograph of them. The Garda said she went into a corner and began to bang tea lights up and down. She had changed in a few minutes. “The transformation was extreme. It was very obvious and quite a dramatic change,” the Garda said. When she mentioned to the child that she had spoken to her foster carer about her “rice crispie”, the child lifted her top and pointed to where her feeding peg [arising from her medical condition] had been and also to her groin. The child put her hands on the guard’s neck and said: “You’re dead, you’re dead”.

The second meeting with the child took place in a family room in a Garda station. She had been colouring books at a table and moved away when she was asked about her parents. “She just removed herself away. It was like she had gone into another place – like a fixed trance.” The Garda said the response had been immediate when it was suggested to her that she draw pictures of her parents. She said she had never interviewed a child who “was so obviously resistant as this child in her behaviour.”

While playing with the child, the gardai had attempted to engage her in talking about her parents and her life with them but she would not answer and either moved away or changed the subject. “She became too distressed…….we were not getting any feedback, which contrasted starkly with when she was talking about other things,” the Garda said.

She agreed with the mother’s senior counsel that the child’s reaction could have been brought about by the fact that she had not seen her parents for five or six weeks and that her meetings with the gardai were a reminder of this, but she added the child had never asked any questions about her parents. “You couldn’t look at her behaviour and not be concerned about it,” she said.

The child had kissed both gardai on the lips when they met for the second time and the Garda said this was very unusual and she did not think she had been kissed on the lips by a child before. The Garda had earlier told the court that she had interviewed over 150 children in the course of her work as an interviewer. Although no disclosures had been made by the child, the Garda said the file was still open and the matter could be revisited if disclosures were made later.

Child born with serious medical issues

The court was told that the child had been born prematurely with a number of serious medical issues. These were outlined by a consultant paediatrician who had been responsible for her care since the family moved into her area from another town in 2010. Multiple referrals had been made. She remained a very small child and this could have been caused by an underlying genetic abnormality. She had significant problems from birth including various feeding issues which required the insertion of a feeding tube into her stomach. She was well used to this feeding when she moved house but there were concerns that the child was losing weight.

The parents indicated that they had, against advice, stopped feeding her through the feeding peg. They were told to keep diaries on the feeding but had not done so. She was aware the parents were feeding her junk food and she had reiterated every time she met them that the feeds must continue. There were concerns that the child was vomiting frequently and the consultant said that in November 2011 she had received an e-mail from the mother which stated the child was “eating like a horse and then being sick.” The issue of nutrition had always been a concern and she was trying to find out why the child was vomiting.

The parents had missed a number of appointments in different hospitals and they would usually say that they did not get the letter or that the child was vomiting. She said the doctors knew that the parents were giving her more food orally than was recommended. The parents had written a long letter of complaint questioning whether appointments had actually been made for them. “I found it very interesting and disappointing that they didn’t turn up,” she said.

When the results of tests indicated that oral feeds could be increased, the parents were told that it was important that proper diaries were kept to ensure the child was getting an adequate intake of nutrition but, she said, the parents did not keep appointments or complete diaries. The child’s weight began to decrease but within three weeks of going into care her weight was increasing and tube feeding had ceased. The parents had been reporting vomiting, choking and coughing but these were not an issue after the child was taken into care.

The consultant said the parents had missed a total of 17 appointments for the child over a 16 month period and her height and weight would have made her look like an 18 month old baby even though she was significantly older than that. She was satisfied the parents had been getting information about the necessity of nutrition and calories for her to grow from three different sources.

Risk assessment of mother

Two psychologists who specialise in working with people accused of sexual abuse were engaged by the CFA to carry out risk assessments on the parents. One of them told the court that she had been asked to carry out an assessment of the risk posed by the mother to her daughter, her ability to provide long term care for her and her capacity to supervise contact between her husband and daughter. She told the court that it was less typical that risk assessments would be done on women and many people did not recognise that women engage in harmful abuse of children. She said that where women had been found to have harmed children sexually, they may have been coerced and in rarer cases they would have been the initiator.

The mother at their first meeting was very vehement that her husband had not been responsible for the chat logs or the video of a child being abused. “All she wanted was her daughter back.” The witness said the mother told her somebody else, possibly a neighbour, must have done it or else the computer had been hacked. The mother told her she was aware that her husband had been arrested in 2008 in another jurisdiction for possession of indecent images and that he had been arrested and questioned in the same jurisdiction about his relationship with her while she was under age. She told the psychologist she did not have a sexual relationship with him until she was 17.

The psychologist said the mother was categorical that she never harmed her daughter. Her response to the disclosures was that the child didn’t know what she was saying. The mother was not weighing up the possibility that something had happened and had said: “I think the foster carer has been talking to her (the daughter) and getting her to say things.” When the CFA barrister asked the witness what the mother had said in response to the child’s reference to playing with her “rice krispie”, she said the mother told her that this was the term used for the feeding tube which became encrusted from time to time and the daughter had given it that name.

When the mother was asked by the psychologist about inappropriate photographs of the child she denied taking pictures of her while naked. Asked about the incident when her daughter fell into the toilet she said she did not take a picture but had called her husband to witness the incident and said it was funny and they were laughing. The witness described this as an example of the mother not seeing things from the perspective of the child. “She was laughing as she told that story. I would have preferred if she had asked – in the light of what is going on – ‘should I have comforted her more?’ It raises the question of someone being sensitive to the cues of the child,” she said.

The psychologist said the mother was struggling to weigh up her husband’s possible risk to the daughter. The mother had said she did not feel she had been groomed by him when she was a child. When the judge asked if specific work could be done with the mother given the likelihood that she had been groomed, the psychologist referred to educative work which would help her to understand the grooming process and sexual abuse and she said a six month pre-intervention session would be required. Work should go ahead for her irrespective of the outcome of any criminal charges to help her to understand what had happened. “She was a child and he may have groomed her,” she said. “There are a lot of issues to be worked through – a lot of years of influence.”

She said her assessment of the mother could not be categorical as to whether she had a sexual motivation in taking pictures of the child. She said the mother had not been able to reflect on areas where her daughter was at risk. While some of her focus was on wanting to get her daughter back she also focused on the social services and external factors such as the possibility that someone had hacked into the computer rather than asking “is there something going on in our own world?”

The psychologist was not convinced that significant change would occur. “I do think she was making more statements like ‘I think he might have done it’ but I wasn’t convinced she wouldn’t compartmentalise it and resume her relationship with him.”

Concerns of social workers

The social worker who was assigned to the mother from November 2013 was asked what work had been done with the mother following on the recommendations of the psychologist and she said that from her meetings with the mother she did not feel she had moved on enough in order to start work with her. “Motivation and understanding were necessary otherwise the piece of work would be wasted,” she said.

The mother had moved out of Ireland to live with her mother and she said she was “over and back” a good bit. She said she was no longer in a relationship with the father as he was not there for her “in the past year”. She gave no other reason and at no stage did she say he was a risk to her daughter. She wanted to see the chat log, the language used and the IP address and she wanted to know if her daughter was in danger. “This raised more concerns for me. She was still asking if her daughter was in danger a year after it had happened. She was aware of the video on the computer.” The mother told her that if her daughter was returned to her she would leave the jurisdiction and live with her mother.

A social worker who was supervising access said the mother had attended for supervised access in January this year with a bundle of photographs and asked if she could show them to her daughter. When she asked the mother if they included pictures of the father she confirmed that they included pictures of their wedding day and pictures of the child on holidays with her father. She agreed to remove them from the pile.

“We had discussed our child protection concerns and concerns about previous sexual abuse. Turning up with photos (of the father) showed she didn’t accept the concerns. She hadn’t seen her father for a year and showing the pictures would have had a huge emotional impact on her, given that we now know that sexual abuse may have occurred.” A decision was made in consultation with the team leader that none of the pictures should be shown. The social worker said at this point they did not feel the mother would act as a protective factor for the child as, “one year on, we haven’t been able to see her putting (her daughter’s) needs in front of her own.”

The social worker described another access session where the mother and daughter were using Playdo and the mother made a shape with it and asked her daughter what did it look like and her daughter didn’t answer, went to a couch and hid behind a piece of cardboard and looked at the social worker. The child’s behaviour changed dramatically and she was, according to the social worker, seeking reassurance from her.

The child said “daddy” and the social worker then noticed that the Playdo was in the shape of a penis. She believed the child’s behaviour was symptomatic of sexual abuse. The mother displayed no alarm or concern and said she had been making one of the letters in her child’s name.

Risk assessment of father

A psychologist who works with people with a sexual interest in children told the court he had been asked to assess the father in the case. The man had moved to another jurisdiction and he met him there.

He said people who abuse are influenced by their experience as children. For example, a child who is beaten all the time will have fantasies about getting back at the person. If they are adolescents, this will be linked to arousal and to a sense of power and control. They may go on to exercise control over children. Thus some sex offenders are not predominantly interested in sex with children, but in control and power. Someone who wants to do something penetrative with a very young child is much more likely to be interested in power and control than in sex. However, a person who says a young child is coming on to him and wants him to do something sexual is more likely to be sexually interested in children, he said.

In this case he said he did not have access to what was on the father’s computer. He asked him if the gardai were likely to find any images of children on his computer and he said “No”. However, not only were such images found, they were shown to the father in the Garda interview.

He said grooming involved the manipulation of the perceptions of the child. In this case the father had manipulated the mother when she was a child so that she thought they had a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship. A man in his 20s manipulating a young teenager would deny anything sexual was going on.

He said child sex abusers lie. He had worked with people day in and day out for 18 months and still felt he did not get at the truth, while with others he felt he got at the truth after six months. In this case the father said there were no indecent images on his computer, yet when confronted with them he had no explanation. It was characteristic of an abuser to try to keep as much back as possible.

The father in this case had been arrested in 2008 in the other jurisdiction for possessing indecent images of children. He admitted he was interested in the mother, now his wife, when she was 14 or 15. If he was found to have an interest in a pre-pubescent child this would indicate risk. He seemed to have three areas of sexual interest: pre-pubescent, post-pubescent and adult females.

He said the father had certain physical problems that would have posed problems with peer relationships and meant he could have been bullied. This could have led to him seeking relationships with teenage girls based on his need for self-esteem and affirmation.

He had aspirations to be a DJ and worked in a local music store in the other jurisdiction and in an internet-based radio station, which he ran from his own home. This was how he met his wife. He had road shows in schools to promote the radio station. Eventually they tied it down that he had probably met her when she was 13. He indicated their intimate relationship began after her 16th birthday, that is, after she reached the age of consent in the other jurisdiction. The police arrested him on suspicion of grooming her when underage. Her father was worried about the relationship.

Attempting to explain the images on the computer, he suggested someone had hacked both his wife’s and his computers. Technically this was very, very difficult and would leave evidence.

At a joint meeting with the father and mother, the psychologist said they had a joint story that there had been no sexual contact between them before she was 16. Then he admitted there had been, and she was left in the position of lying for him. He then sought to minimise the contact to a kiss. He then moved to suggesting she might be responsible for the material on the computer and asked why she had not been arrested.

The content of the conversation on-line indicated he was offering to abuse his daughter while the mother was out of the house. However, he also said he was interested in seeing a female engage in sexual activity with his daughter. This could be an independent female, or he intended to draw his wife into the abuse.

The fact that he had been able to pursue his relationship with the mother despite the concerns of professionals and of her family showed someone who was able to disregard the safety of a child in favour of his own needs. The psychologist said he was currently dealing with four people who had set themselves up as DJs to attract young women. The fact that he targeted schools was indicative of his tendencies.

He appeared to have an extensive range of sexual interests and the capacity to hurt a child. “If he hasn’t already, I consider him ready to involve the mother in the abuse of the child. I believe he has lied about many aspects of his behaviour. He has a significant interest in children. If the court concludes he is responsible for the images on his computer he is a very significant danger to children and should not have unsupervised access to his child,” the psychologist said.

“If he has abused her already the child will be aware of it and he can re-abuse her emotionally in very subtle ways. If he has, it would be very inadvisable to allow any level of contact without knowing of his level of arousal. You would have to have a very experienced supervisor who understands covert sexual abuse.”

Asked about the mother bringing pictures of the father to access meetings with the child, he said that this probably meant she did not think he was responsible for any abuse and wanted the child to think positively of him.

The mother’s senior counsel said she had come to a developing realisation and accepted there was sexual contact before she was 16. She did think the father represented a risk to her child. He said the father was not having access. Her access had been reduced horrendously, a lot of things were suggested about what she did in access.

The psychologist said that contextualisation was important. If the father acknowledged he was responsible for the images and they could explore the extent to which he drew the mother into the process they could discover how entirely innocuous objects can be used to sexualise a child. For example, he had seen situations where a hairbrush was used to stimulate a child’s clitoris and, when produced in access, could be part of continued abuse. It was very difficult to interpret behaviour. The information had to come from the abuser in therapy.

There was a boastful element in online conversations. In relation to this one, the officers would have been very experienced and were highly alarmed. A lot of what the police officer said was designed to delay what the father was saying he would do in order to give the police time to get to the IP address. The reference to getting a female involved was a game-changer.

Referring to the mother, he said an essential first step was that she recognised this man was a threat to her daughter, she needed a substantial behavioural change. There was a whole sequence of things she had to do. She had to re-think her relationship with him and with her daughter. This would require very intensive work with her for at least eight months. If this was not done the chances of him walking back into her life in two or three years’ time were very high indeed.

The solicitor for the guardian ad litem referred to disclosures from the child to her foster parent. She said she lay on the bed and opened her legs and mummy and daddy took her picture. She asked the psychologist to comment, but he said he was not a child psychologist.

Asked about what happened during access, he said that the main area of concern was the bringing of photographs. If the court was to find that the child’s disclosures meant the mother was involved in abuse you view the incidents in a sinister light, but it was quite a leap. It was possible the mother was being groomed into being involved. It was not unreasonable that the GAL would be concerned.

Asked if a person could be both a victim and a perpetrator, the psychologist said yes, especially with female sex offenders. Even quite experienced child protection workers have difficulty in recognising female sex offenders.

He said it was advisable to have a very experienced professional doing supervision of the access. If the mother acknowledged she was a victim of the father she needed to go further. “There is a long journey to where we want someone to be in order to protect their child in the future.”

Asked why her acceptance of her own sexual abuse as a teenager was important, he said: “Because it will change her perception of the father from a fundamentally nice guy who would not harm a child to someone who sexually exploited her. It does not change just her part of the story, it potentially changes the whole story.”

Asked by the judge if it was unusual for a child of that age to touch themselves, the psychologist said a child might touch themselves for comfort. It was important to be clear exactly what the child was doing. There was a need to distinguish between a child touching themselves in masturbation, and digital penetration.

Mother’s evidence

The mother gave evidence over three days. She said she was 13 when she first met her husband. He was 12 years older and he was operating a radio roadshow at her school. He became a family friend and he was also friendly with other people living on the same street. He was questioned by the police after her brother told her father he had seen both of them sitting on a bed in their house and her mother was told by the police that she was possibly being groomed by him. Her mother told her to stay away from him and he was not allowed to visit the house any more.

She said she met him again when she was 16 and went to live with him when she was 17. She said he was arrested one morning as they were on their way to work and when he returned home he told her it was a routine matter as his name had not been cleared off their files for an outstanding warrant. He said that his computer had been taken by the police the previous year but he was not charged with any offence as everybody had access to the computer at his place of work. “I didn’t see him as a horrible person so I didn’t think he could have done anything like that,” she said.

They moved to Ireland in 2008 and their daughter was born here with a number of serious medical complications. In 2010, they moved to a different area and their daughter came under the care of a different medical team. She said her daughter got a lot of chest infections and would vomit a lot. She had gained good weight but would lose it again when she started vomiting and got infections. She said there had been a lot of medical appointments in 2012 and some had been missed but a lot of them had been attended. “There would be appointments where I rang up and rescheduled and others where I forgot and didn’t ring up.”

On the day that her child was taken into care and her husband was arrested, she told the court she had gone out in her car to get coal and logs. As she was returning to her house she passed a police car. After she had parked her car she went to the back of her house and heard a knock on the front door. When she went around to the front door, she saw a Garda there and heard him say “you can’t go anywhere near your daughter.” She said her husband was denying that he had done anything.

When her husband was released from custody the following day she asked him what had he done and he denied any wrongdoing. He told her there was a video on the computer and there were also chat logs where people were talking about new born babies and six week old babies. She believed his denials. She told her barrister that, after the child was taken into care, her husband had attended 15 or more access meetings. One of the reasons why he left this jurisdiction, the mother said, was that she had been told by one of the social workers she would not get her daughter back if he did not leave the country. She said she understood what the social workers’ concerns were but she had done nothing wrong.

Asked by her barrister why she wanted to see the transcripts of the chat logs, she replied “I wanted to know did it sound like (her husband). I wanted to see the language and the words used.” He told her he had never had any chat logs and didn’t know about the video on the computer. “I wanted to know whether to believe him or not.” She said she was “absolutely shocked and disgusted” at the content of the chat logs. “Do you believe him now?” her barrister asked. “Absolutely not,” she replied.

She said no one in Ireland supported her now apart from her solicitor and barristers. She decided to go abroad to live with her mother. She had been hoping that the social services would give her child “slowly back to me” but “not once did they say they would try and give her back to me”. She said after her husband had left the country her daughter would kick and scream at the end of access and say she did not want to leave. When her barrister said this was not reflected in the social work notes, she replied “when they were giving evidence they never once said she cried.”

She said that at the end of every access until the end of February last year the child would kick and scream and ask “if she could go home with mammy and daddy.” She said access was supervised in a room and she had asked during the summer if she could take her daughter to feed the ducks under supervision. The social worker said she would look into it for the next time but it never happened.

Asked about the effect of this restricted access, she said it was very hard because “I know she loves me because she runs into my arms and says Mammy I miss you and I love you and, even though she has formed a bond with her foster carer, I know her love for me is still there.” Her barrister asked her if she had been offered any help for herself by the social services she said she had not been offered any help apart from a cognitive self-assessment session which she could not attend. She said the CFA had never discussed reunification with her.

She said she needed help to realise what she had gone through in the past year and what could have happened to her daughter. She now accepted that her husband was a danger to her daughter because of the chat logs. “If he had that conversation he was more than likely to have downloaded the video,” she stated. She said she would now consent to a permanent Barring Order against him. “If he came to my door even if there wasn’t a Barring Order I would call the police.” She said her sexual relationship with her husband began when she was 16. When the CFA’s barrister suggested to her that her relationship with her husband was child abuse by him she said she accepted now that she might have been groomed “a little bit” by him.

When the CFA barrister asked her about the incident when her daughter fell into the toilet, she said she and her daughter were laughing when it happened and denied that her daughter was crying. She had never seen her husband take photographs of her daughter when she was naked. Judge: “So you are not ruling it out?” Mother: “No.”

The CFA barrister asked her about the disclosures that the child had made to her foster carer and she said she believed the foster carer was “putting more words in her mouth than what she was saying.” Asked about the incident at access where it was alleged she had made Playdo in the shape of a penis and had asked her daughter twice what did it look like, the mother said it did not look like a penis to her from where she was sitting and she was hoping her daughter would recognise it as one of the letters in her name. The social worker told her it might have triggered a memory but said she would not mention it in court because she knew she did not do it deliberately yet in evidence the social worker had said she believed it was deliberate.

The solicitor for the GAL asked the mother about the last time she had contact with her husband. She said she had been updating him on the court appearances but had stopped doing this as she felt it was no longer appropriate as the social workers had stopped telephone contact between him and his daughter. The solicitor suggested to her that it was not plausible that they had just stopped phoning each other but the mother said he knew things were obviously getting worse and “I think he got the message.” The solicitor suggested it was an extraordinary coincidence that they both stopped contacting each other at the same time.

The mother was asked by the GAL’s solicitor about evidence that the child had difficulty swallowing and if she knew why she had this difficulty. The mother said her daughter had a cleft palate and other medical problems as well as an aversion with feedings. Solicitor: “She is choosing to hold things in her mouth. Does that cause you any concern because the medical tests showed there was no reason? Were you aware that it was a symptom of oral rape?” Mother: “No”.

The solicitor suggested to her that she knew what was going on and that was why she reminded her daughter about her father at access and got her to draw pictures and put kisses on cards for her father. “You didn’t do anything to help the investigation. Didn’t you think you could keep A (daughter) quiet?” Mother: “I didn’t want her to be confused and think her dad had walked out of her life”.

The GAL’s solicitor asked her about the disclosure made by her daughter about a babysitter and she said she had never had a babysitter except on one occasion when she had to go to a funeral and a neighbour babysat for her. She said she didn’t go to the gardai as she did not want to have him interviewed.

Solicitor: “Surely you would want him interviewed. Isn’t that another lie? If you cared about her you wouldn’t care about someone being interviewed?”

Mother: “I didn’t have any proof.”

She said she did not want to go to the police and accuse the neighbour of things she was not sure of. The solicitor said this was not plausible. “The reason you didn’t want anyone looking was they would be looking at you.”

Mother: “I wasn’t bothered about them asking questions about me but it would have turned the neighbour’s family upside down.”

The solicitor referred to previous evidence by a psychologist who had been concerned about references in the chat logs to a woman and child having sex and suggested that would have changed the way people looked at her if they knew about the contents of the chat log. She asked her if she now believed the baby referred to in the chat logs might have been her daughter and she replied it was possible. She was asked if she accepted the psychotherapist’s evidence that, after hearing the transcript, her daughter was probably sexually abused from a very young age and she replied: “I didn’t accept it because I never saw anything. But from hearing the chat log and the psychologist’s evidence, I believe it was possible.”

When the judge asked her if she now considered that her husband had abused their daughter she replied: “I do think it happened but do the guards still not have to give their answer?”

Judge: “If he is not convicted what’s your view then?”

Mother: “It wouldn’t change my opinion.” She told the judge she didn’t believe she had been groomed by her husband.

Judge: “But having heard all the experts, they say that you were groomed. How does that tie into your view?”

Mother: “He was a friend of the family”.

Judge: “But you ended up having sexual relations with a person who was 12 years older.”

Mother: “But he didn’t groom me to do that”.

When the judge pointed out that two experts had given evidence they believed sexual relations started before she was “of age”, she replied: “I understand that’s the expert opinion but nothing happened before I was 16.”

Judge: “Do you believe your childhood was stolen by Mr X (husband)?”.

Mother: “I do.”

Judge: “Well that’s a long way towards accepting that you were groomed.

“Through maybe no fault of your own, maybe you are not a protective factor. I have to make a decision on what is the best for [A] but you have to look at what has happened to you. Your childhood was stolen, you were only 15 or 16, through no fault of your own. I have to look at the possibility that you were both abused. That’s the difficult decision I have to make.

“You came to Ireland when you were just gone 17. You conceived when you were still 17. Your baby was born when you were 18. It may be you knew or ought to have known, that you might have been complicit, and you are saying you have no hand act or part in it.

“But as a mother isn’t it an awful thing to think that your child was abused under your roof? The District Court is the lowest court but the hardest job I have as a judge is to make decisions about children. I can only imagine it is the hardest thing for a mother to hear that her child may have been abused. The hardest part, it seems to me, is when it comes out that you may have failed as a parent.”

Guardian ad litem’s evidence

The child’s GAL gave evidence that she had a master’s degree in child protection and had previously worked as a social work team leader. She was currently receiving training in attachment. She told the court that women who sexually abuse children generally abuse their own children when they are very young and abuse them for a very long time. Some engage in it initially to please their partners and some go on to abuse them without their partners and gain satisfaction just like men.

She said she found the child’s disclosures to be spontaneous and credible. Looking at the disclosures in the context of what was known about her father’s conversations in the chat room and his preference for babies, what the child disclosed would seem to describe a paedophile engaged in activities with a young child. The description of the child lying on the bed and touching herself and saying her daddy and mammy showed her how to do it and her descriptions of her father taking pictures of her – “that described sexual abuse.” Asked by her solicitor if she accepted that the father had sexually abused his daughter she said: “Yes, I do.”

She referred to the earlier evidence of the child being cheerful and smiling when the gardai were searching the house. “She was not at all upset by the guards searching the house. She didn’t seek the proximity of her mother. For me that’s very stark … She should have been upset and crying but she wasn’t, she was cheerful. She didn’t see her mother as a protector.”

The GAL was asked about the parents’ interaction with medical professionals and the number of missed medical appointments. “Why move to such an isolated area with such a sick child?” she asked. She said a considerable number of appointments had been missed and there was at other times a relationship that was undermining of the medical profession. The parents were trying to control the situation and they knew better.

“What was going on here?” she asked. “This is not a dynamic that parents with very sick children usually take up. It’s unusual. It struck me as a power control issue where [the child’s] needs were not met as much as they should be.”

Asked about the child’s weight loss while in the parents’ care, she said: “There are aspects of this case that are very upsetting. In the context of the chat log, we have a child who is very small, whose weight is constantly falling and they (the medical professionals) are struggling to engage with the parents regarding her eating. Was she being kept deliberately small and baby-like?” She said that there was a premium within this area of child pornography. “It did raise questions for me and I wondered.”

The GAL said there had been a certain lack of concern about child protection issues by the early intervention medical team who should have intervened at an earlier stage when appointments were being missed and the child’s weight continued to fall. “Why it raises concerns for me is that her weight went up consistently after she went into care,” she said.

She said this was not just a case of the mother not seeing some covert signs that her husband was sexually abusing their daughter. “It’s much deeper and more dysfunctional than that. This failure to protect is in the context of wilfully not seeing the risk signs.” She agreed with the previous evidence of a psychologist that the mother had been groomed by her husband.

She was concerned that the mother had been reminding the child of her father at access visits by getting her to write “to daddy with love” on cards and getting her to kiss the page. “In the context of possible child sexual abuse by the father this was (the mother) actively bringing him into the dynamic of the visit and reminding her we are still here. This happened on a number of occasions.”

The GAL said the mother had not put any psychological distance between herself and her husband. She feared for the child because it seemed to her that the mother would like to get back with her husband. “She spoke about having a lovely life, even knowing about the chat rooms. She couldn’t bring herself to go there. I was disturbed for days, weeks and I still am.”

She said the mother’s reaction had been quite distant and quite cold and she was unable to empathise with her daughter. “That’s what makes her dangerous because she is meeting her own needs and not her daughter’s.” She said the mother was not listening to the warnings about the risks posed by her husband because she was protecting the relationship.

Asked by her solicitor about the role of the CFA in providing help for the mother, she said the mother had not engaged with the HSE/CFA and the CFA had been sceptical that she had ended her relationship with her husband. “To have offered therapy in that situation would have been dangerous. She could have pretended to comply.” There needed to be an indication from her that she understood the risk the father posed but she was not prepared to take that first step. “I don’t think she would report him if he breached a barring order,” she said. Three social workers had spoken to her at length on a number of occasions about the concerns and the risks and they had little or no impact on her. “I don’t think she wants to hear.”

Judge orders further assessment

Having heard all of the evidence as well as oral and written legal submissions from all the parties’ legal representatives, the case was adjourned to a date for final judgment. However, on that date, the judge said he was unable to make a final decision and he ordered an independent report and forensic assessment from a psychologist “having expertise and experience dealing with children, in respect of the child, having regard to the ‘disclosures’ made by the child to the foster mother relating to the First and Second named Respondents (the parents).”

He ordered that the psychologist should advise as to what significance the court should attach, if any, to these disclosures “having regard to the age of the child and to advise, if necessary, as to what therapeutic supports or interventions would need to be put in place for the child.”

The case had been heard over 20 days, extended over more than a three-month period, and the judge described it as “a very complex case involving serious matters including allegations of the most serious nature. Some of the evidence heard was most disturbing and upsetting,” he said.

The judge ordered the CFA to arrange and offer the mother a programme of work that would look specifically at helping her to develop a better understanding of child sexual offenders, the long and short term effects of harmful sexual behaviour and safeguarding children in future. He encouraged the mother to avail of the programme as “this direction is made having regard to the care and custody of the child to promote the optimal relationship between her and the child.”

He directed that the mother should continue to have access with her daughter once a month and that the CFA should explore the possibility of alternative venues for the access in consultation with the guardian ad litem. Any notes or minutes prepared by the CFA regarding events during access were to be furnished to the GAL and the mother by email and any issues regarding the accuracy of the notes or minutes was to be raised with the CFA within seven days of receipt of the email.

The Court also directed the CFA to carry out the process of matching and approval of the current foster carer for long term placement with immediate effect.

A date for the conclusion of the proceedings would be fixed once the psychologist’s report was received and circulated.

The judge said he was minded of the advice given by Mr Jaggers to Pip in Great Expectations: “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.”

Jeffrey Murphy/Colin Angliss – Middlesbrough/Torquay

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June 2014

Judge voices suspicions of ‘paedophile ring’ as duo are jailed for catalogue of sex offences

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Two former soldiers are behind bars for a total of 24 years today for a catalogue of sex offences against schoolgirls.

Jeffrey Murphy and Colin Angliss abused three girls between them – but it could not be proved that they were part of a “paedophile ring”.

One of the underage girls suffered sex attacks from both men on different occasions.

She was groomed, sexually assaulted and raped by Murphy, and molested by Angliss.

She had to tell two separate juries of her ordeals as the men denied all charges and stood trials.

Some of the crimes dated back to the 1990s, others in the following decade,Teesside Crown Court heard.

The three victims came forward and reported Murphy to the police years later as young women.

Prosecutor Aisha Wadoodi told of the far-reaching long-term impact on their lives, mental health and relationships.

For one woman, it led to depression, self-harm and panic attacks.

She said in a statement read out in court: “I’ve never been able to have any steady relationship with men because I’ve never trusted them.

“I can’t sleep without my light on and I constantly have nightmares about what abuse he did to me.”

Another wrote: “I hate Colin Angliss for what he did to me. I believe that he knew how vulnerable I was as a child.

“I’ve had nightmares and hot sweats about what he did to me.

“I wish he would just admit what he did to me so that I can get some closure.

“This will never go away.”

Judge Howard Crowson jailed Murphy for 15 years, his first prison sentence, telling him: “Your selfish desires came first.”

He said the 56-year-old raped two girls, grooming one, using violence on the other by pinning her down and putting his hand over her mouth.

He lived in the Middlesbrough area at the time of the sex crimes.

Murphy, now of Magdalene Road, Torquay, denied two charges of rape, one of indecency with a child and one of indecent assault.

He was convicted by a jury on all four counts after a trial last month.

In a separate trial Angliss, of Stokesley Road, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, was convicted unanimously by a jury this week on 11 charges of sexually abusing two girls.

The 54-year-old was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault, three of sexual activity with a child, and one each of indecency with a child and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He told one of the girls he loved her and wanted to run away with her, and felt he had control over the other girl, said Judge Peter Armstrong.

At one point Angliss was caught and was told such behaviour could get him locked up.

Undeterred, he went on to commit more sex offences.

Judge Armstrong jailed Angliss for nine years, also his first prison sentence.

The judge praised the courage of the two young women and other witnesses for giving evidence.

“The truth will out,” he said.

“There were elements of grooming in respect of both children.”

After the guilty verdicts, he had said: “Sometimes there is what’s known as a paedophile ring where there is knowledge of sexual abuse of children which is passed on.

“However suspicious one might be, I’ll have to work on the basis that he was acting alone.”

Neither Murphy nor Angliss had previous convictions.

Murphy’s barrister Gary Cook said the crimes were isolated, sporadic, “occasional transgressions” with no overt threats or coercion, rather than premeditated, protracted grooming and abuse.

He added: “However badly he treated those girls, there were clearly others who spoke of him very well.

“He is forever tainted by these allegations.”

Adrian Dent, representing Angliss, said the life of the former Army Private, who had a 20-year military career, would be devastated by the convictions.

Both men were given sexual offences prevention orders, banning them from unsupervised contact with girls under 18, and will be on the sex offenders’ register and banned from working with children, all indefinitely.

Murphy’s father Brian Murphy, 78, of Evergreen Walk, Saltersgill, Middlesbrough, had appeared in court with his son and Angliss last September.

He denied an indecent assault on one girl in the 1990s and two counts of causing or inciting two more girls to engage in sexual activity last year.

He died before the matters came to trial and the case was closed last November


Paul McGlinchey – Washington

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June 2014

Child abuse images pervert watched sick videos while his fiancée slept

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A CHILD abuse images pervert has been jailed after he was found with thousands of vile images of youngsters being abused.

Paul McGlinchey, from Washington, waited until his fiancée was asleep before he went into another room to look at the pictures and videos of children.

The 30-year-old was arrested after police were alerted to people using a file-sharing website to distribute the pornography.

McGlinchey, of Sunningdale Drive, has now been jailed for two-and-a-half years and has been ordered to register as a sex-offender for life and made subject to an indefinite sexual prevention order.

He pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to nine charges of making indecent images of children by downloading them onto his computer.

He also admitted six charges of distributing thousands of indecent images across all three categories of a new scale of seriousness set out by the Sentencing Guidelines Council.

Jailing McGLinchey, Recorder Tim Raggatt QC said: “The offences span a period from the summer of 2007 to the summer of 2012, and there are literally thousands of images overall.

“Count 14 alone, charges you with distributing 8,877 images, but the most serious are the counts which charge you with making and distributing hundreds of images of category A.

“What is sometimes forgotten in cases of this kind is that there are true victims, they are the hapless children from around the world who are exploited by the people who film them in the disgusting and despicable ways they do.

“Category A images are of penetrative sexual activity with children and images involving sadism and sometimes bestiality, and you had hundreds of images in that category and then distributed them.

“Your predilection for such material is deeply disturbing..”

Prosecutor Lal Amarasinghe said that in May 2012, Warwickshire Police received information from West Midlands police force in relation to users of a file-sharing website.

One person using the site to obtain and share indecent images of children, using the name ‘Coldspace Ice,’ was identified as McGlinchey. Officers went to the address in Warwick where McGlinchey was living with his fiancée at the time, and seized his desktop computer and an external hard drive.

When McGlinchey was interviewed he made no comment, but handed the police a prepared statement in which he accepted responsibility for downloading the images.

He explained he had started viewing indecent images on his computer when he was 10 or 11, looking at girls of a similar age – but had continued viewing children of that age as an adult.

Andrew Tucker, defending, said: “He is somebody who has made a promising start in life, obtained a good education and a degree, and good employment. Until all this came to light he was engaged to be married to a young lady, with every prospect of a happy and successful life in front of him.”

McGlinchey asked to be referred to an organisation called Stop It Now, through which he has received psychotherapy counselling.

Frederick Smith – Haverhill

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June 2014

Haverhill man, 94, jailed for historic sex offences on girl under 14

A 94-year-old man who sexually abused a schoolgirl is believed to be the oldest sex offender to be jailed in the UK after a judge sentenced him to 12 months for his “vile crimes” committed four decades ago,

Frederick Smith, who uses a walking frame, was accompanied to Ipswich Crown Court from his Suffolk care home for his sentencing hearing by a carer and a social worker and was taken from court to begin his sentence at Norwich prison in a wheelchair.

Smith, who formerly worked for Premier Travel in Haverhill, admitted four offences of indecent assault between 1972-1982 and one offence of indecency with a child between 1972-76 at an earlier hearing. Sentence was adjourned until yesterday to see if the prison service could accommodate his “extensive personal needs”.

Sentencing Smith, of Place Court Care Home in Camps Road, Haverhill, Judge David Goodin described his offences as “vile”.

“As frail as you are, bent over your Zimmer frame, justice cries out that you be sent to prison for your crimes,” he said, adding that Smith’s sex crimes had a “devastating and lasting” effect on his victim.

He said medical reports showed that for his age Smith “wasn’t in bad shape”.

“You need help with stairs, bathing and dressing but otherwise your memory is not bad and you can communicate clearly,” he added.

“This court is not in the business of passing cruel, degrading and inhumane sentences but to prison you must go,” Judge Goodin said.

“I’m told you have become depressed and withdrawn and I’m inclined to the view that at the age of 94 your remorse for what you have done is real.”

Hugh Vass, prosecuting, said the victim made a statement to police in July 2013.

She described being sexually assaulted by Smith in a shack used by by bus drivers for refreshment breaks.

Smith had got the schoolgirl to sit next to him and then touched her between the legs when one of his colleagues briefly left the room.

She said Smith had sexually assaulted her on a number of occasions over a period of years and she had feared he would kill her if she said anything.

On one occasion she saw him in his garden and when she threatened to reveal what he had done to her he had thrown a pair of garden shears at her, narrowly missing her.

Smith had also sexually abused her while giving her a lift in his car and had got her to perform sex acts on him.

Joanne Eley, for Smith, said he was deeply remorseful and regretted what he had done, adding: “He feels dirty and ashamed.”

She said that Smith had asked her to tell the court he knew he had done “bad things” and was “very, very sorry”.

 

 

Connor Greer – Glasgow

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June 2014

Sex beast admits raping young girl

A SEX predator raped a young girl having abused her from the age of seven, a court heard.

Connor Greer preyed on the child who for years was too scared to tell anyone about her ordeal.

She eventually told a friend, who alerted a teacher sparking an investigation into the abuse.

Greer’s victim wept yesterday as she finally saw him brought to justice at the High Court in Glasgow.

The 21-year-old pled guilty to rape and two charges of lewd and libidinous conduct.

A judge told him he was guilty of a “most serious type of conduct” as Greer was remanded in custody pending sentencing next month.

The court heard the attacks repeatedly occurred between 2003 and 2011 at houses in Glasgow’s South Side – including Greer raping the girl when she was aged 14 or 15. The abuse would often happen at night when Greer would “change”.

Greer was also placed on the sex offenders list.

Robert Chubb – Shirehampton

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June 2014

Eight years for former Bristol minister who sexually abused boys

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A former lay minister and school governor who sexually abused two boys in the late 1960s and early 1970s has been jailed for eight years.

Robert Chubb, 82, of Old Quarry Road in Shirehampton, was found guilty of 27 offences following a trial at Taunton Crown Court.

Chubb sexually abused two boys at his home in Shirehampton between March 1961 and November 1975. The boys, who were abused separately and did not know each other, were aged between nine and 15 years old.

At the time of the offences, Chubb had roles within local churches and held a number of school governor positions. He met one of the victims through his association with a local church.

Investigating officer Det Sgt Simon Whittaker said: “Robert Chubb committed offences against one of the victims in 1961, while the second victim was subjected to regular abuse between 1969 and 1975. Both of the victims came to the police independently of each other.

“The enduring memories of the horrific abuse have stayed with them into their adult lives and I am full of admiration for the courage they have shown in contacting police to shine a light on these offences.

“It’s hard to imagine how difficult it’s been for them to keep this abuse secret but I am pleased they were able to find the strength to come forward and help bring Chubb to justice.

“His actions were quite simply abhorrent, especially when you consider his position of responsibility within the local community.

“We are aware there is a gap of several years between the offences committed against these two victims and we have concerns there may be more victims out there who have not yet come forward.

“I hope the fact Chubb has now been convicted will give any further victims the confidence they need to contact us. We are here to listen and we can give you access to a whole range of support services.”

The Rt Rev Mike Hill, Bishop of Bristol, said: “I am truly very distressed and saddened by the news that Robert Chubb is guilty of these very serious crimes. It deeply upsets me that the two survivors have had to live through such terrible experiences and suffered such a betrayal of trust.

“I commend their courage in coming forward and my thoughts and prayers are with them both. I hope that the fact that they been heard through the courts and Robert Chubb has been brought to justice will bring them some comfort.”

In addition to the prison sentence, Chubb will have to sign on to the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life and an order was put in place banning him from working with children.

 

Kevin Johns – Bridgwater

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June 2014

‘Justice done’ as Bridgwater paedophile is locked up

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THE victim of a serial sex offender has told he feels justice has been done after the man who abused him for years was put behind bars.

Kevin Michael Johns, of Penlea Avenue, Bridgwater, was sentenced to six years in prison by a judge at Taunton Crown Court on Friday, (June 6).

He pleaded guilty to ten counts of gross indecency with a child, 11 counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14 and two counts of inciting a child to commit an act of gross indecency.

Of the 23 counts, 14 were in relation to offences committed in the 1980s against one boy and nine offences committed in the 1980s and 90s involving a second boy.

The boys cannot be named for legal reasons, but one of the victims told the Mercury after sentencing: “I hope this conviction will give other people who have had a similar experience the courage to come forward.

“We were hoping he would get longer, but we do feel justice has been done.”

A family member added: “We feel relief. I love my boys so much and they are happy with what he got. It’s really good news. We couldn’t have asked for any better.”

The offences happened in Bridgwater and during the time of the offences, one boy was aged five when the abuse began and other was aged six when it started.

Once Johns, now 48, was alone with them he would touch them sexually.

The court heard how Johns told one of the boys the acts were a “treat” and not to tell anyone.

One of the victims said on one occasion Johns had touched him while others were present, disguising the action under a tray with toys on top.

The abuse only ceased when one boy stopped contact with him while the other boy kicked Johns while he was trying to touch him.

The victims said they had been living with “shame and embarrassment” as a result of what Johns did to them. One victim said he still has night terrors and will occasionally call out ‘don’t touch me’ in his sleep.

The other has suffered with depression and flashbacks.

Johns was found out last year when the victims spoke out about their ordeals. He was then reported to the police and he was arrested on August 12, 2013.

When questioned by police about some of the offences, Johns said he “couldn’t remember”.

Defending, Rebecca Bradbury said Johns did not want to put the victims through the ordeal of a trial and pleaded guilty.

She added: “He wants future help. His life has slowly been falling apart. He is extremely sorry for what has happened.”

Sentencing Johns, judge David Ticehurst heard he had previously been convicted for indecent assault on a boy under 14 years in 1984.

Judge Ticehurst said: “It is difficult to imagine the effect these offences have had upon them. You blighted their childhood.”

Johns received a total of six years in prison, will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for the rest of his life and be the subject of a Sex Offenders’ Prevention Order (the terms of which will be settled out of court within 14 days).

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