December 2007
Children’s trampoline pervert caged
A PERVERT who had a “fascination” for young girls filmed them jumping on a trampoline and then used his computer to make indecent images, a court heard.
Paul Todd, 47, who has a record going back to 1975 for indecency offences with females, was sentenced to jail for public protection.
Judge James Stewart QC, sitting at Leeds Crown Court, jailed Todd for a year after he admitted three offences of making indecent pseudo-photographs of a child and two further offences of voyeurism.
The judge said Todd’s behaviour was “every mother’s nightmare” and stressed he was likely to spend longer behind bars and would not get parole until it was considered safe to release him.
Michael Smith prosecuting, said police went to his flat in Hawksworth in Leeds with a warrant and found a disturbing quantity of material involving children.
Todd, he said, had been spotted using a digital camera by neighbours and he was arrested when they complained.
In his home, said Mr Smith, police went through a lock system to get into his kitchen where they found the curtains drawn and a video camera on a tripod.
A lead from the camera was linked by various wires which ran through into his lounge and plugged into the TV.
On the kitchen worktop, officers seized a pair of binoculars and they found in other rooms over 300 videos and DVDs containing many images of children, generally under the age of seven.
Mr Smith said there were disturbing videos many of them where he had filmed himself in children’s underwear and clothing.
Police also found over 1,000 pictures, almost exclusively of children and many cut from naturist magazines.
Mr Smith added Todd also altered images by super-imposing images of the youngsters onto his naked body to make it look as if sexual activity had taken place.
In interview Todd said he was a loner who lived with two cats and said the video camera was to watch down the street as protection and also to watch our for debt collectors.
Thomas Rushbrooke, for Todd, said his client accepted he had a fascination with young girls.
“He has said he would like some help but how he is going to get that I am not in a position to say,” he said.
Passing sentence Judge Stewart said it was every mother’s nightmare to have their children photographed by a person who they would describe as a paedophile.
But he added that although the taking of the photographs was a gross invasion of privacy none of the youngsters had been exploited for sexual purposes.
