May 2016

Paedophile, 55, gets 6 years for sex crimes against girl

An Amersham paedophile has been jailed for four counts of sexual activity with a child.

Stephen Ford, aged 55, of Dane Close, pleaded guilty to the four offences which took place from 2009 until 2011 when the victim was under 16 years of age.

He was convicted on Monday, May 9 at Aylesbury Crown Court and was sentenced to six years and four months in prison on the same day.

May 2016

“Dangerous” sex offender from Westcliff sentenced to 13 years behind bars

A man described as a “dangerous offender” by a judge has been jailed for 13 years on six charges of sexual assault against two young boys under the age of 13.

James Kerner, 36, of Station Road, Westcliff, was found guilty following a trial at Southend Crown Court in April this year, where both victims gave evidence against him.

 He was jailed on Friday, May 13, by His Honour Judge Lodge at Basildon Crown Court where he described Kerner as a dangerous offender.

The judge also imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), placed Kerner on the sex offenders’ register for life and banned him from ever working with children.

The court heard how he abused his position with the victim’s family allowing him access to the children alone where he was then able to abuse them.

His offending was reported to Essex Police in October 2014 after the victims disclosed what had been happening.

May 2016

Four members of same Darlington family now behind bars for depraved child sex crimes

A PAEDOPHILE was last night starting a 16-year prison sentence – as he became the fourth member of his family to be locked up for child sex offences.

Derek Smith is likely to die behind bars after it was revealed that the 50-year-old Darlington pervert is not expected to live more than three years.

Smith’s father, George snr, his brother George jnr, and his nephew Mark are all in prison serving sentences for child abuse, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Judge Sean Morris called them “a dysfunctional family with no boundaries” as he jailed Derek Smith for a catalogue of offences against two boys.

The former labourer still denies carrying out the attacks, but was said by his barrister to be “old-school courteous” and was prepared to be punished.

Rod Hunt, mitigating, said Smith’s liver was failing, and told Judge Morris: “Two years is a good bet, three years would seem more or less a certainty.”

Derek Smith

The court heard how one of his victims reported what had happened to Smith’s depraved brother – but he was simply laughed at and called a fantasist.

He kept his ordeal from the 1980s a secret after that, but came forward when he learned last year that Smith had been arrested for abusing another boy.

Prosecutor Richard Bennett said the second victim was told he would get into trouble with the police if he told anyone.

The abuse continued until Smith’s father, George, 79, was arrested for sexually abusing two girls in 2010. He was jailed for eight years in 2013.

Click here for more on George Smith snr

George Smith jnr, 54, was convicted of attempted rape and three indecent assaults against a girl in the 1970s, and got four years in March.

Click here for more on George Smith jnr

Mark Smith, 20, is serving a seven-year sentence after he was found guilty after a trial last year of raping and sexually assaulting young boys.
Click here for more on Mark Smith

Mr Hunt told the court: “The whole thing is just deeply depressing, deeply sad. One struggles to find any glimmer of light in this history.”

The court heard the first boy abused by Derek Smith fought back with a knife after the pervert climbed into his bed, pretending to be cold.

Judge Morris told Smith: “He reported it the next day to your father, who didn’t believe him, in fact, he laughed at him and called him a fantasist – and that was that.

“He came forward after it became known that you had been arrested for sexually assaulting your next victim, and the fact he came forward, I’m sure, must have taken a lot of courage.

“Fortunately for him, he said in his evidence that he had completely got over this.”

May 2016

Melksham man jailed for 18 years for ‘vile’ child sex offences

A paedophile who subjected a young child to two years of sickening sex abuse – and filmed much of it – has been jailed for 18 years.

Joseph Lee pleaded guilty to a total of 43 child sex offences, including:

• Two counts of rape of a child under 13 years old

• 14 different charges of sexual activity with a child under 13

  Three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

  Multiple counts of taking, making, possession & distribution of images of child sexual abuse.

  The 31-year-old, who had lived in Ogilvie Square in Calne, but moved to Melksham, also pleaded guilty to 23 different charges of producing or taking indecent images of children and one of making indecent images of children.

  Lee was arrested on September 9, 2014 at his home in Calne, and his home was searched and computers and mobile phones taken.

  Sickened officers found 1,548 images on his computer, including 75 ‘category A’ images and 35 ‘category A’ videos of child sexual abuse which showed child rape & sadistic acts of torture.

  The images and videos found on Lee’s memory cards were some of the most vile depictions of child sexual abuse that police had ever viewed

  The appalling offences were committed over a period of two years between 2012 and 2014

May 2016

Sex offender back before Carlisle court for disruptive behaviour 

A sex offender who made jokes and was disruptive during rehabilitation treatment has been re-sentenced.

Leonard Pears was originally given a community order and told to complete the treatment programme after being sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court in December, 2014. It followed his conviction for three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Pears, 21, was back before the crown court following his lack of co-operation during the course. He admitted failing to provide written evidence to explain his “unacceptable” conduct.

Prosecutor David Birrell told Judge Tony Lancaster: “The course facilitator describes the defendant’s persistent poor engagement and disruptive behaviour.”

Pears made comments such as “We shouldn’t be doing this” and told other participants “You shouldn’t do that”.

After meetings were held to address these incidents, his attitude improved for almost three months. 

But Mr Birrell said Pears then “went back to his old ways”. 

The lawyer told the court: “He was heard to say ‘I would rather be in prison’; ‘Can’t I do community service instead of this?’.”

That prompted the probation service to conclude the order was “unworkable”.

Kim Whittlestone, defending, called Pears “a young man who is naive” and spoke of his “immaturity”. 

“He accepts responsibility for not engaging,” Miss Whittlestone told the court. “He found the course difficult. He did seek to pull his socks up. His behaviour did improve.”

Pears was said to be a registered carer for his father. 

Aware that prison was potentially an alternative punishment, Miss Whittlestone added: “If he is remanded into custody it will cause real difficulties in the family home.”

After hearing the barrister’s mitigation Judge Lancaster ordered Pears, of Ennerdale Terrace, Whitehaven, to complete 100 hours’ unpaid work.

But as he stood in the dock, Pears was told by the judge: “If you don’t do it, I can tell you now the chances are you are going to go through that door (into custody).”

May 2016

Newtown man who downloaded indecent images is placed on sex offender programme

A MAN who downloaded 167 indecent images of children has been placed on a sexual offender programme for three years.

Guy Francis Jones, 31, admitted making the images, one of which was in category A, one in category B and 165 category C – the least serious – when he appeared before Welshpool magistrates.

The offences date from February to July 2014.

Jones, of Llys Lelog, Trehafren, Newtown, had pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing when sentence had been adjourned for reports.

Mr Stephen Davies, prosecuting, said police received a complaint from a parent about the content of a Facebook page.

When police visited Jones’ home in September last year they took away his computer, memory sticks and phone.

Jones told police there could be some images of children on them which he had downloaded while under the influence of drugs.

Mr Owain Jones, defending, described Jones as a recluse who did not leave the house. 

He suggested a suspended sentence would act as a deterrent but magistrates imposed a sexual offender programme with a three year supervision order.

Jones was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order which limits his access to technology. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge. 

May 2016

Bexhill man jailed after sexually assaulting woman and girl

A Bexhill man was jailed for eight weeks after sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl and a 36-year-old woman in the town.

Sanjay Mahalingam, of Wickham Avenue, who works at a fast food restaurant in Ninfield Road, was charged with two sexual assaults on two separate women, on Sunday, May 8, and Thursday, May 12.

The 27-year-old approached the woman who was walking along Sidley Road, and after briefly engaging her in conversation, he touched her indecently over her clothing on the Sunday at around 2pm.

Just four days later Mahalingam approached the girl in nearby Watermill Lane, and suddenly touched her indecently, again above clothing before making off.

Information from witnesses and police enquiries led swiftly to his arrest that same day.

The victims were not physically injured but both were very shaken and upset by what happened to them.

Mahalingam appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court on Friday (May 13), pleaded guilty to both charges, and was sentenced to four weeks imprisonment for each offence, to run consecutively.

He will also be a registered sex offender for five years.

May 2016

Man who sexually abused schoolgirls faces lengthy jail sentence

A MAN who preyed on young girls, including one who went on to write a book about the horrific childhood abuse she suffered, is today facing a lengthy prison sentence.

William King had sex with a 12-year-old girl and forced another underage child to perform a sex act on him.

The father-of-two had denied the offences but was convicted of three sex charges, although he was acquitted of a further charge of rape on a not proven verdict.

One of the victims, Dana Fowley, who has waived her right to anonymity, said outside the High Court in Edinburgh: “I am delighted. I have been waiting 19 years for this.”

More on that paedophile ring here

She said she had first reported the offending to police in 1997 and during evidence in court detailed some of the other abuse she had suffered as a child at the hands of King’s late father, Billy senior, his grandparents, her mother and other accomplices.

She said: “There were more abuse days than normal days.”

She said her step-father Billy King began abusing her at about the age of five. Ms Fowley, 35, told jurors how her mother was jailed for her part in the abuse along with others. Caroline Dunsmore was aged 43 when she sentenced to 12 years in 2007. John O’Flaherty was aged 50 when he was sentenced to 13 years and Morris ‘Mo’ Petch was also 50 when he was given a life sentence the same year.

She said King junior had come into her life because of his father and was aware of her age. She said she was aged about 12 and a half after she “chummed” him to his house in the Granton area and he started kissing her.

“I think by the time I got to 12 nothing shocked me in life,” she told the court. “This was just a normal day to me to be honest,” she said. She said King junior would phone and make arrangements to meet her and would take her to his house or out in the car.

“I wasn’t screaming and bawling, but I was only 12,” she told advocate depute Shanti Maguire. “He would tell me he was leaving his wife for me. He told me he loved me. He gave me a ring.”

She described the behaviour she encountered as “perfect grooming”.

She said on one occasion his wife had phoned and King junior was out of breath, but he had claimed he had to run up the road for cat food.

Sales representative King, of Diamond Grove, Dunfermline, was convicted of sexually abusing her between August 1992 and June 1995 at houses in Edinburgh and Inverkeithing and having unlawful sexual intercourse.

He was also found guilty of indecency towards a second girl whom he preyed on from the age of seven from 1990 to 1994 at houses in Edinburgh and Inverkeithing. He had also been accused of raping the second victim, but was acquitted on that charge.

Defence counsel Ronnie Renucci said he accepted a prison term was inevitable, but asked for bail to be continued on the first offender ahead of sentencing next month.

The judge, Lady Wolffe, told King: “You have been found guilty of extremely serious matters and as your counsel has accepted a custodial sentence in inevitable.”

She remanded him in custody and placed him on the sex offenders’ register.

May 2016

St Albans man jailed for attacks on young girls

A 51-year-old who sexually abused two young girls was jailed for 11 years – 13 years after the abuse took place.

Gary Jennings, who is also known as Christian De Vriess, received a nine-year jail term on Friday, with a further two years on licence because the judge considered him to be a risk to children.

Jennings, of Martins House, Upper Lattimore Road, St Albans, was convicted at St Albans crown court of 14 charges of indecent assault and indecency with a child. He was also convicted of causing actual bodily harm to one of the girls, whom he hit with a belt.

The attacks took place in Hemel Hempstead between 2000 and 2003 when one girl was aged between seven and 10, and the other four and seven.

Patricia May, defending, said Jennings continued to deny abusing the girls. She said he had no other sexual convictions.

Judge Andrew Bright QC told him: “You pose a high risk of serious harm to children. I am passing an extended sentence to protect the public and in particular young girls.

“The psychological damage you caused have been set out in the victim personal statement of one of them.

“You will serve two-thirds of the nine-year sentence before the parole board can consider your release. You will only be released if the parole board considers it is safe to do so. You will be on licence to the end of the 11-year sentence.”

Jennings must register as a sex offender and abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

May 2016

Slough man jailed for child sex offences

A man from Slough has been jailed for a string of child sex offences.

Gerard Moran, 50, of Alexander Road, Slough, was sentenced to 26 months in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday.

Moran pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent images of children at Aylesbury Crown Court on January 2, 2015.

On April 7, 2016, he also pleaded guilty to one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child at the same court.

Moran was found guilty by unanimous verdict of one count of causing child prostitution at a trial at Amersham Crown Court that concluded on Friday, May 6.

On the day of sentencing, he also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a class A drug.

He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for each count of making indecent images of children, to run concurrently, 18 months for causing child prostitution, which will run consecutively, and 12 months for taking an indecent photograph, to run concurrently.

In total Moran received two years and two months in prison.

The offences took place between 2009 and 2013 at various locations, against one young female victim.

He forced the child into prostitution and took an indecent image of this child. Further images of an indecent nature were located on devices found within his possession.

May 2016

Man jailed for 10 years after raping 12-year-old girl

A MAN has been jailed for 10 years after being convicted of raping a child.

Karl Anthony Wood, formerly of Nelson and most recently of no fixed abode, subjected his female victim to ‘a horrific catalogue of abuse over a number of years’.

Wood appeared before a judge at Burnley Crown Court earlier this week where he was also convicted of carrying out eight sexual assaults on the same girl, who can not be named for legal reasons.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the sexual attacks started in 2012 when the girl was just nine and only stopped when he was arrested in 2015.

The rape happened when the girl was 12.

As well as sentencing Wood to 10 years’ imprisonment, Judge Simon Newell also made him subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

The 30-year-old must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and pay a victim surcharge of £120.

Wood was arrested on August 18, last year, and charged the following day.

He appeared before Burnley Magistrates’ Court on August 20 and was sent for trial at Burnley Crown Court.

He was denied bail and has been in custody since August 18.

May 2016

Paedophile nurse jailed for 18 years for raping schoolgirl

A paedophile nurse “with no morals” who raped a schoolgirl while helping with her homework was jailed for 18 years.

Peter Reddaway, 52, who works at Old Swan Walk-in centre, denied six counts of rape against the girl, when she was in her mid-teens.

But he was found guilty of a “campaign of rape” 

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the dad-of-three, of Hawksworth Close, Formby , cheated on his wife with a live-in nanny during the same period.

Judge Steven Everett said Reddaway’s victim was right to describe him as a “calculating paedophile” who hid beneath a veneer of respectability.

He said: “You are a man without any moral fibre in reality, hiding behind the façade of caring for the public.

“Sexually at least for some reason you were just simply unable to control your behaviour.”

The jury heard the first rape took place when Reddaway was helping the girl with her homework.

He told the girl he might have a maths book upstairs but pushed her on a bed and raped her, ignoring her pleas to stop.

On one occasion when she was home alone, he let himself into her house, went into her bedroom and raped her again.

Louise McCloskey, prosecuting, said the woman recalled how the rapes were so regular, “they simply became part of her life”.

She said the victim eventually became so complicit she would agree to meet him and they would have sex before he went to work.

Lawyers acting for Reddaway called his ex-wife, Gayle Reddaway, a fellow nurse, to give evidence.

She revealed he had an affair with their live-in nanny, which she only discovered last year.

And she said he also cheated on her with his current wife Carol, leading to the break-up of their marriage in 2000.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court that Reddaway claimed “he couldn’t help it because of his high sex drive”.

She said she was appalled by the fact he had raped her and also slept with the nanny, while his children were in his house in St Helens .

“Peter Reddaway stole from me things that should not be taken. Gifts that humans normally give freely to people they love,” she said.

“I have always felt like I’m a sheet of paper with a blot of ink – a stain that cannot be removed.”

The woman said she had undergone counselling, but Reddaway had “destroyed her ability to trust others for life”.

Peter Killen, defending, said his client had given “great service to the public” through his career in the NHS.

Judge Everett said Reddaway preyed on the fact he was a respected member of the community and his victim was just a girl, “using her like a piece of meat”.

Ordering him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life, the judge added: “You thought she would never be believed. You believed you were almost untouchable in that regard.

“You have shown no remorse at all for what you did. I have no doubt you have no concept of the effect you had on her, which is a strange feature and a strange irony given your so-called caring profession.

“You are that calculating paedophile. You are a man with no morals.”

May 2016

Man guilty over child images

A Deeside man has admitted offences involving indecent images of children.

Frederick John Lester, 62 was bailed pending sentence next month.

Lester, of Oak Tree Close, Shotton, admitted a total of eight charges of making indecent images of children by downloading them from the internet.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender with the police

May 2016

Man, 70, admits child abuse images charges

A 70-year-old man has appeared in court to admit possessing indecent images of children.

Michael Baker, of Holbrook Road, South Knighton, Leicester, appeared at Leicester Crown Court today.

Baker admitted making more than 1,000 indecent images of children, including 58 in the most serious category.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing 2,691 prohibited images of children.

May 2016

Paedophile who abused girl, 8, then terrified her into silence

A PAEDOPHILE who targeted a vulnerable eight-year-old girl for his own sexual gratitude and terrified her into silence for years has been jailed for eight years.

There was evidence that the child had been abused before she came into contact with Neil Anthony Swales, 55, said Helen Chapman, prosecuting.

When the victim was seven or eight, he sexually attacked her, put his hands round her throat, and made threats about her future to make her keep silent about what he was doing to her.

She eventually broke her silence years later when in her late teens, but still constantly checks that he can’t get to her.

The barrister said: “She was very frightened of him. He would sometimes place his hands round her throat and threaten her.”

In a letter to Judge Guy Kearl QC, the victim spoke of how she felt suicidal, self-harmed and had nightmares about what Swales had done to her.

“She was vulnerable and she was targeted,” the judge told Swales at Leeds Crown Court as he jailed him for eight years. “She was extremely insecure, she remains so,” he said. “She was only young and she thought this (the abuse) was normal.”

The judge said the abuse happened three or four times over a 12-month period.

Swales, of Great Edstone, Ryedale, denied two charges of sexual assault and two of involving a child in sexual activity, but was convicted by a jury at York Crown Court in March. He has been in custody since the trial and will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

For Swales, Alex Menary said it was not clear how many of her psychological problems were due to Swales.

He handed in references that the judge said described Swales as an “entirely different person”, good natured, good humoured and hard working among other attributes.

Swales had faced allegations that he abused two other girls in Stamford Bridge and York before he abused the eight-year-old and was due to be tried on those charges in August.

But following his conviction in March, the Crown Prosecution Service spoke to both and decided to offer no evidence on those charges.

May 2016

Pervert caught with indecent images at Leeds community centre

A pervert was arrested after being caught downloading indecent images of young girls on a laptop at a community centre.

A court heard how a member of staff raised the alarm after becoming concerned when she saw the disturbing material on equipment being accessed by Anthony Lewsley.

Kate Batty, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court that Lewsley, 46, had been using the services of a community centre in Belle Isle, Leeds, which allows residents to access laptops and computers for their own use.

Miss Batty said the member of staff contacted a manager after seeing Lewsley looking at images of girls thought to be aged between eight and 11 years of age.

The manager then checked the laptop and discovered that more illegal images were in the process of being downloaded.

Police were contacted and officers went to Lewsley’s home on Windmill Close, Belle Isle, and seized more computers and a memory stick.

The equipment was found to contain over 15,000 illegal images and movies of children. The court heard 132 images and movies were at category A – the most serious level of offending.

Officers also found that Lewsley had made internet searches for pornographic images of youngsters.

Some of the images featured children aged as young as six.

Lewsley was interviewed and made full admissions about his offending. He told officers he would download the illegal material at the community centre then view them on computers at his own home.

He pleaded guilty to three offences of possession of indecent images of children and one of possessing prohibited images of children.

Sajid Majid, mitigating, said Lewsley had pleaded guilty at an early stage and was prepared to receive treatment to address his offending.

Lewsley was made the subject of a three-year community order. He was also ordered to take part in a 60-day activity requirement, during which he must attend a sex offender treatment programme.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said: “If there was anything pointing to you actually putting into practice what you were observing in these images you would be going to custody.”

May 2016

Pervert OAP looked at child abuse images for 10 years

PERVERT Garry Bewley downloaded more than 500 indecent images of children on his computers.

The 65-year-old was arrested after police raided his Blurton home.

He immediately admitted he had been accessing indecent images of children on the internet for more than 10 years.

Now Bewley has been handed a three-year community order with a requirement to complete the community sex offender group work programme as the judge believes there is a sufficient prospect of him being rehabilitated.

Prosecutor Brian McKenna told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court police went to the defendant’s home on November 3 as they suspected he had been accessing indecent images of children.

Mr McKenna said: “They told him why they were there and he admitted he had been accessing such images. They seized two computers and a memory stick.”

The devices were analysed and contained 504 images and movies.

There were 113 at category A – the most serious; 68 at category B; and 323 at category C.

The images were of boys and girls, mainly aged 10 to 14, but some children were as young as eight.

The defendant told police he searched for the images on his computer and had been doing so for about 10 years.

He said his computer had the capacity to delete images but he kept some and put them on his memory stick.

He said others had downloaded images from his computer and added he liked to look at images of girls aged 10 to 12.

Bewley, of Wyndham Road, Blurton, pleaded guilty to six offences of making indecent photographs of a child and six offences of possessing indecent photographs of a child.

Jason Holt, mitigating, said the defendant had lost his good name and his job as a result of his convictions. And he is likely to lose his house.

Mr Holt said: “The catalyst for this was a redundancy 10 years ago. He is not proud of himself and shows some shame and remorse.

“He is keen to work with the probation service to understand why his behaviour has occurred and why it must not happen again.”

Judge Paul Glenn placed Bewley on the sex offenders’ register and made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.

He told the defendant: “These were real children being abused and no doubt irreparably damaged.”

May 2016

Sex offender avoids jail after sex with underage girl in graveyard

A man had sex with an underage girl after ignoring a friend’s warning that he would go to prison.

Cameron Richmond, described by his own barrister as an “idiot”, flirted with and kissed the teenager before taking her into graveyard bushes.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that shortly before having sex with her, a friend told him: “You go away for that kind of thing.”

The girl later told police she felt “reluctant and overborne” by what was happening.

Richmond, 22, of Milstead, admitted sexual activity with a child.

However, his friend’s prediction did not come true as a judge said prison would neither help Richmond nor protect the public.

Instead, he imposed what he described as “no soft option” – 10 months’ jail suspended for two years with a condition that he attends a sex offender treatment programme.

He must sign on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Judge Julian Smith said: “You need to think about what you did, or you present the most dreadful risk for the future.

“If I lock you up for a short period of time there would not be time for people who are skilled and able to address the risk that you present to work with you.

“You will come out of prison with the same fixed attitudes in your thinking as you have now and you would go out into the community presenting exactly the same risk.

“This is the best chance there is at this stage to address and remedy the risk that you present.”

The court heard Richmond, then aged 21, joined a group of teenagers who had met up and were drinking.

January 2016: Now living in St George’s Quay, Lancaster

October 2002

Seven years for evil stalker

A DANGEROUS paedophile with a horrific fascination for young children was today behind bars after a stalking campaign against a terrified family.

When police searched the home of evil John Penswick, they found an A-Z of Preston with schools marked out, as well as items of children’s underwear.

Penswick subjected a family in Preston to a year of terror in which he secretly pinned obscene messages to the back gate of their home in Deepdale and put sexually explicit material through their letterbox.

Preston Crown Court heard that the family’s young daughter was named in the material, with deviant messages targeting her and her mother.

Penswick, 43, of St Michael’s Road, Deepdale, was said in court to be a loner who had shown no remorse and who bore a grudge against society.

He admitted four charges of making threats to kill and three offences of harassment, and he was jailed yesterday for seven years.

Prosecutor Frasier Livsey said the parents of the young girl named in the material painted the gates where the notes were pinned on three occasions with an anti-vandal mixture.

In one threatening message, the girl was taunted by Penswick, who said that she would become “the next Sarah Payne”, a reference to the girl who was abducted and murdered in Sussex. The case sparked national outrage.

CCTV was eventually installed by the terrified family at their home.

When police arrested Penswick, Mr Livsey said a search of his premises revealed the A-Z map, “with schools highlighted in pencil”.

At first, Penswick denied the offences, but pleaded guilty after handwriting evidence was gathered.

On Penswick’s behalf, Mr Richard Bennett said he accepted that his client’s actions had brought great anxiety to his victims.

Psychiatric assessments of Penswick, an upholsterer, pointed to his desire to deliberately cause fear in others, “driven by a sense of social grievance” said Mr Bennett.

A report pointed out that the defendant was a paedophile with all the “classic symptoms of a sex offender”.

Sentencing Penswick, the recorder of Preston, Judge Peter Openshaw QC, said the case was unique.

Penswick had left “crude, depraved and vicious messages showing a disturbing degree of sexual deviance”.

The young child who received the messages and threats from Penswick was unknown to him at the time and had been shielded by her frightened parents to a certain extent.

However experts have speculated that she may be affected in the future.

Judge Openshaw said that, for the parents, the case had become “the dominant feature of their lives” for a year.

The notes on the gate could have been seen by others, which only added to the “distress and humiliation” the family suffered.

The judge said that they had since moved away from the area.

Penswick had a history of sexual deviance, the judge added, with two previous offences of indecent exposure.

“These offences show an alarming escalation in the scale of offending, not an uncommon feature in those who go on to commit the most grave sex crimes,” said the recorder.

Doctors who examined Penswick found he had a “horrific fascination” for young girls, and the judge said there was a high possibility that he would reoffend.

“There is no real sense of remorse – your attitude to the victim is one of callous indifference,” the judge told him.

Judge Openshaw sentenced Penswick to seven years for the threats to kill and four years for harassment, with the terms to run concurrently.

He said that because of the nature of the offences, he could not place Penswick on the sex offenders’ register, but Judge Openshaw added that “the most stringent licence conditions” must be placed on him when he is eventually released.

In addition, the judge ordered that his sentencing remarks be placed before the Parole Board when they come to consider the case.

May 2016

Man caught with 12,000 child abuse videos and pictures – but avoids jail

A MAN caught with thousands of child sexual abuse images claimed he had an “artistic interest” in them.

At Bolton Crown Court David Collins was handed a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

David Clarke, prosecuting, told how police, acting on information, raided Collins’ Ashby Close, Farnworth, home on August 23 2013 and seized an Acer tower computer.

When officers examined the computer they found around 12,000 indecent videos and pictures of children, many of whom were aged between eight and 12, which Collins, who is a father, had downloaded between September 2011 and June 2013.

Collins’ search history indicated he had been looking for child porn and police found he had 128 of the most serious category A images on his computer, 47 category B images and thousands of category C pictures.

Peter Warne, defending, said Collins, aged 46, had become addicted to child sexual abuse images

“He is embarrassed and ashamed and says that nothing like this will ever happen again,” said Mr Warne, who added that Collins initially claimed he had an artistic interest in the material.

“He accepts things developed over time.”

The court heard that Collins’ partner has left him as a result of the court proceedings.

Sentencing Collins to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, Recorder Richard Gioserano said he rejected any artistic motive for looking at the images.

“If you didn’t have to begin with, you did develop a sexual interest in young children, particularly young girls,” said the Recorder.

“The material that you were accessing is not only abhorrent to right minded people, the accessing of it also perpetuates the sexual abuse of children.”

In addition to the suspended prison sentence, Collins will be subject to supervision for 18 months and must undertake 200 hours unpaid work.

He was placed on the sex offender’s register for 10 years, is barred from working with children and vulnerable adults and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.