Porn teachers 'should be banned for life'

A LEEDS judge has criticised the law for tying his hands and preventing him from banning two child porn pervert teachers from working with youngsters in the future.

Last week Judge Ian Dobkin sentenced Richard Briggs, 42, of Shipley to nine months in jail and disqualified him from working with children.
But yesterday, after another teacher 42-year-old Gordon Crompton, of Huddersfield, was jailed for nine months for child porn offences, Judge Dobkin admitted he made a mistake and confirmed he was unable to ban either man from working with children.
Richard Briggs, 42, of Cliffe Terrace, Shipley, pleaded guilty to 20 example charges of possessing indecent photographs of a child.
One of the disturbing movie clips among the catalogue of 850 images found at the Baildon home he formerly shared with his partner and her children, showed a baby aged between one and six months being abused.
The court heard how he had not entered the website by accident, and had to pay to view the images and repeatedly click on his computer keyboard to access the child porn.
Briggs, who lost his job as a teacher after he was arrested on November 20 last year, was disqualified by Judge Dobkin from ever working with children again. But yesterday the judge admitted that he had made a mistake and under present legislation he could not stop either man working with children in the future because the sentence he passed was less than 12 months.
Gordon Crompton was jailed for nine months for having 1,600 sickening images of which all but 100 involved children under 16, Leeds Crown Court heard.
The former English teacher at Almondbury High School in Huddersfield had movie clips and stills at his home in Causeway Side, Linthwaite, Huddersfield last November. Both men were ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
 

Teacher is jailed for child porn offences

POLICE found hundreds of pornographic pictures of children downloaded from the Internet and stored on a computer when they searched a Yorkshire teacher's home.

Gordon Paul Crompton, 42, was jailed for nine months yesterday after Leeds Crown Court heard that two of the most serious images saved by the English teacher were of a sadistic nature showing a young girl bound to a chair.
Another picture in his collection showed a baby with its private parts exposed, while others depicted children as young as five involved in sexual activity.
Crompton, who at the time was a teacher at Almondbury High School, Huddersfield, was caught after he paid an American company for access to some of the hardcore pornography.
He was arrested in November last year when officers working as part of Operation Ore, a worldwide investigation into Internet child abuse, executed a search warrant at his home and seized his computer and disks.
Jonathan Gibson, prosecuting, told the court that when the equipment was examined police found 1,600 images, of which 1,550 involved children apparently under 16.
Crompton, of Causeway Side, Linthwaite, Huddersfield, had previously pleaded guilty before Batley and Dewsbury magistrates to 17 offences of possessing indecent photographs of children and three of possessing indecent film clips.
The magistrates had committed him to the Crown Court for sentence.
Jailing him, Judge Ian Dobkin said: "People who regard the watching of child pornography, films
or photographs as being something for their own pleasure without harming anybody else have got it wrong.
"These are not victimless crimes because children have harm done to them when they have these photographs taken of them and the paying for, access to and downloading of them encourages the taking of more of these photographs."
The judge ordered Crompton to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years – but said that although he would like to impose a disqualification to prevent him working again with children, he could not do so because he had imposed a sentence under 12 months.
The judge criticised the law for tying his hands, saying the Court of Appeal recommended sentences from 12 months to three years in such cases – but when a discount was allowed for Crompton's guilty plea, his low risk of re-offending and lack of aggravating features, the appropriate sentence was nine months.
He said for the same reason he would have to remove the disqualification for life he had imposed last week when he jailed another teacher, Richard Briggs, from Baildon, for similar offences.
Mr Gibson said Crompton was caught after United States authorities in Fort Worth, Texas, searched the premises of an Internet company called Landslide in September 1999.
It had been set up as a gateway to pornography websites and used child pornography images in other countries including Russia and Indonesia.
The websites could not be accessed by chance and those people who accessed them had to pay a fee and give personal details, which were recovered by the American authorities and passed on to police in Britain.
When officers searched Crompton's home on November 13 last year, he admitted he had a large amount of child pornography which he had downloaded from the Internet. He also said he was deeply ashamed.
Of the 17 photographs selected as a sample by police, 12 were on the computer hard drive and five on computer disks, two were considered to be level five – the most serious in nature – 10 of level four and two of level three.
John Lodge, for Crompton, said he had qualified late as a teacher having been a manual worker for many years before he went back to studying.
A divorced father of two he was considered good at his job, but had resigned in December after his arrest and education authorities would ensure he would never be able to teach again.
There was no suggestion he had created or distributed any of the photographs involved and no pupil or former pupil had made any allegation against him.
Mr Lodge added: "He is bitterly ashamed at what he has done. he is and remains remorseful for the offending but knows that will not save him from a custodial sentence."
 

Special police to quiz girls, 7

SPECIALLY trained officers were today speaking to two young girls who were the victims of a sex attacker in a Blackpool park.

And police have stepped up the hunt for the man who tried to assault the two young girls on Sunday.
The two seven-year-olds were in the park when they were offered sweets by the stranger who played with them by swinging them around. But it was a cover for him to indecently assault the children.
One of the victims ran off screaming and the attacker hurried off. He was last seen by the bowling green in Palmer Avenue at about 4.30pm.
Scott Etheridge, Blackpool Police's communications team leader, said: "The last thing we want is any kind of vigilante action. There are people out there who can pose a danger to children, but they are a very small minority."
Det Sgt Jan Beasant of Blackpool CID today renewed her appeal for information from witnesses who were in Revoe Park on Sunday afternoon and may have seen the offender.
He is described as being in his mid 20s, about 5ft 7in, slim with short wavy hair brushed back.
He was wearing a cream jacket with a black stripe down the arms and blue jogging trousers.
Anyone with information should contact the police on 01253 604107, quoting log number 241 of April 13.
 

Man jailed for child porn images

               Darren Woolley

HEALTH and safety officer Darren Woolley has been jailed for six months after a court heard how he used his work computer to download sickening child pornography.

The 39-year-old was caught when his supervisor at West Country Fine Foods in Codford investigated his use of the internet after it was noticed his work rate had dropped.

When confronted by police he said: "It just started as curiosity but I have been looking at child porn and I have been doing the same on my home computer."

After officers searched a computer and CD Rom discs at his home in Poulson Close, Warminster, they found hundreds of child porn images.

Nick Hawkins, prosecuting, told Swindon crown court that dad-of-one Woolley had access to the internet at work.

He said: "His supervisor became concerned because of his performance. The supervisor decided to check his use of the internet and was shocked to discover he had been to child porn sites at work."

Woolley told officers he had been using his credit card to access child porn sites, he told the court.

Mr Hawkins said there were 99 images of children engaged in sexual activity with adults as well as hundreds of less serious pictures.

Woolley pleaded guilty to 10 sampled charges of making indecent pictures of a child at an earlier hearing.

Claire Harden, defending, said: "He started looking at this sort of site two years ago. He had had some time off work for stress and depression.

"He started surfing the net looking at adult pornography. At some point he came across sites which contained photographs of children.

"He was initially curious about them and started looking. The vast majority of images came within the lower category range.

"He is essentially a person who has downloaded this material for his own personal use. Not for any commercial gain.

"Since these offences came to light he has been affected in a number of ways. He of course lost his job as health and safety officer.

"His wife has been supportive and is standing by him. He is also suffering from depression which manifests itself in suicidal thoughts. He has attempted suicide on one occasion."

Jailing him Judge John McNaught said: "It is serious offending and almost always custodial sentences are called for when material of this nature is downloaded from the internet."

As well as jailing him for six months he said Woolley should undergo two years of extended supervision on his release and register as a sex offender for seven years.
 

Paedophile suspects to appear in court

A TOTAL of 60 people in Wiltshire have been identified as paedophile suspects under anti-internet child porn sting Operation Ore.

More suspects are due to appear before Swindon Magistrates' Court on Friday to face charges relating to the possession or downloading of child pornography.

Wiltshire detectives have acted on 60 warrants in the county but one suspect is still out of the country.

Operation Ore was launched last year when agents from the FBI handed over thousands of credit card details to the National Crime Squad (NCIS) who sanctioned the ongoing raids.

The breakthrough came when US agents cracked-open a massive child-porn ring centred in Fort Worth and gained access to credit card details of thousands of British users who allegedly paid money to view pornography of children as young as five-years-old.

The NCIS handed over suspect details to individual police forces to carry out a series of raids.

All the suspects allegedly used the pay-per-view webring between May 1999 and the summer of 2001.

Police in Wiltshire began arresting suspects last autumn but a police spokesman said the massive operation is expected to continue well into the summer.

All suspects convicted of downloading child pornography will have their names added to the Sex Offenders Register and multi-agency panels will be tasked with tackling community safety issues.

Unemployed David Crichton, 48, of Fell Road, Westbury is due to appear before Swindon magistrates on Wednesday to face 12 charges of downloading child pornography.

Crichton denied all 12 charges at an initial hearing in February and the case is due to be committed to Swindon Crown Court.
 

Red tape halts hunt for on-run paedophile

A DANGEROUS Welsh paedophile on the run in Ireland is escaping from justice because of bureaucratic red tape.

Roger Gardener has fled to the Irish Republic but detectives in Wales cannot pursue him until the Irish authorities give the go-ahead.

Gwent Police have been waiting for three months to be granted an extradition order to let them hunt for Gardener, 59, who has been on the run for two years.

Extradition papers from the British Crown Prosecution Service were lodged with the Irish authorities at the beginning of the year but since then there has been silence from Ireland.

Gwent Police Detective Sergeant Dave Ransome said, "They have had the papers in Ireland for three months but we are still waiting for word and it has become a bit of a joke. It is frustrating that this man is still on the run and all we want to do is bring him back to Wales to stand trial."

A CPS spokeswoman said, "There is a special relationship between Britain and Ireland, though extraditions can take many months." Gardener vanished before he could stand trial for allegedly staging a hoax vigilante-style arson attack on his own home at Fleur-de-Lys, near Blackwood, in August 2000 while he was waiting to be sentenced by a judge for sex assaults on two girls.

After the fire the judge jailed Gardener for just 15 months for two indecent assaults on girls aged 12 and 13. Gardener was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years, which includes telling police if he changes address.

When he was released from prison police charged him with plotting with two friends to stage the fake arson attack, posing as vigilantes. His two friends, brothers Terry and Steven Williams, were jailed, Terry for four years and Steven for two-and-a-half years, after admitting conspiracy to cause arson and endangering the lives of neighbours.

Gardener was originally due to face trial with the brothers for allegedly being the mastermind behind the conspiracy but he phoned his solicitor to say he was taking a holiday in Ireland and his camper van had broken down.

Police believe he could be working with travelling fairgrounds.
 

York fears after release of convicted paedophile

A YORK police chief today reassured residents following the release from jail of one of Britain's most dangerous paedophiles.

Stephen Carruthers, 43, who has convictions against him for child sex offences in York in 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1991, was freed at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday.

He had been ordered to serve four life sentences two years ago after being found guilty of raping and abusing two boys.

But, following a ruling by the Court of Appeal, he faced a retrial, at which he was acquitted of two charges of false imprisonment and two allegations of raping the boys.

Residents in the Fossway area of York raised a petition against Carruthers in 1987 after suspecting him of child abuse, and after he moved to Wenlock Terrace he was beaten up by three men who alleged he had interfered with children.

One Fossway resident, who asked not to be named, told the Evening Press yesterday: "When I heard he had been freed my first thought was `I hope he doesn't come back to York'."

Superintendent Javad Ali, police operations commander for York and Selby, said residents of the city had no need to worry.

He said: "There is nothing to indicate that he has any intention of coming back to York, but, obviously, if he were to move, we are in touch with Greater Manchester Police, who would let us know so we could take appropriate action. I can assure members of the public we will do that."
 

Sex charge teacher found dead on beach

A TEACHER who was facing child sex charges has been found dead on Fleetwood beach.

Nigel Foster, 48, originally from Battle, East Sussex, faced a number of charges relating to a 15-year-old girl.

Foster, who was suspended from his job as a head of the design and technology department at Claverham Community College, Battle.

He faced charges of indecently assaulting the girl, as well as having underage sex with her.

He was also charged with taking indecent photographs of a child under 16 and other, associated offences.

His last court appearance saw him bailed to the guest house in Blackpool where he was living. He disappeared 24 hours after the court appearance and his body was discovered a week later.

A post-mortem found that Foster's death was caused by drowning. An inquest was opened and adjourned on Friday.
 

Sex charge teacher found dead on beach

A TEACHER who was facing child sex charges has been found dead on Fleetwood beach.

Nigel Foster, 48, originally from Battle, East Sussex, faced a number of charges relating to a 15-year-old girl.

Foster, who was suspended from his job as a head of the design and technology department at Claverham Community College, Battle.

He faced charges of indecently assaulting the girl, as well as having underage sex with her.

He was also charged with taking indecent photographs of a child under 16 and other, associated offences.

His last court appearance saw him bailed to the guest house in Blackpool where he was living. He disappeared 24 hours after the court appearance and his body was discovered a week later.

A post-mortem found that Foster's death was caused by drowning. An inquest was opened and adjourned on Friday.
 

Man jailed after indecency with girl

A MARRIED man who indecently assaulted a 14-year-old girl he met in an internet chatroom has been jailed.

Alan Wiles had sexual contact with her at his Ribchester home, having asked her to bring a school uniform with her prior to one meeting.

His prosecution for indecent assault cost him his job as an accounts manager, he and his family had to move home and it ended with a six months prison sentence being handed down at Preston Crown Court.

Wiles, 35, of Woon Lane, Clitheroe, appeared for sentence having earlier pleaded guilty to the charge. In addition, he pleaded guilty to 10 charges of possessing indecent photographs of a child.

At the same time a co-defendant, also married, who had been convicted of indecently assaulting a separate 14-year-old girl, was given two years community rehabilitation.

Anthony Bain, 36, of Sabden Walk, Blackburn, had denied the charge but was found guilty by a jury. He was said to have molested a girl while both were passengers in a sports car, but had denied the offence.

Howard Bradshaw, prosecuting, said Wiles met one 14-year-old girl through an internet chatroom in May or June last year. At first they exchanged a number of messages and the defendant said he was thirty two years of age. The indecency occurred on their third meeting. Wiles was said to have asked her in a message to bring a school uniform with her. He drove her to his home in Ribchester where the event took place.

Afterwards he took her back to Blackburn where she met up with the other girl. Later on another meeting was arranged and Wiles said he had a friend he would like the girls to meet.

When police later seized computer equipment from Wiles' home they found over 120 indecent images of girls.

Mr Dennis Watson, defending Wiles, who had previous convictions for dishonesty, said he had met the girl through an internet directory of the local area. He had first understood her to be a few years older than she was before they met.

She had gone on to say she was 15 years old.

Mr Arthur Stuttard, for Bain who had no previous convictions, said he had been brought into the case by the first defendant.

"He still denies this matter and claims he did nothing."

Before the trial took place he had been stabbed in the face by someone calling him a pervert and that matter was reported to police.

Judge Pamela Badley told Wiles in passing sentence that he had met one of the girls and been less than honest with her about his circumstances.

"You sought to impress her with your lifestyle and sophistication. You were aware she was willing to take part in sexual activity and did take advantage of her."

Wiles was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years, Bain for five.
 

Ex-policeman spared prison over computer child-porn

A FORMER probationary policeman wept yesterday when he was told he would not be jailed for having around 45 indecent images of children among pornographic photographs on his computer.

The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Norman Jones QC, said he had come to the conclusion it would be "heartless" to send Simon Dagger to prison after hearing he downloaded the photos from the Internet in 1999, before he joined the police and when he was suffering a depressive illness following the death of his father.
Imposing a three-year community rehabilitation order with a condition of attendance on a sex-offender treatment programme, the judge said he had taken into account that his career with the West Yorkshire Police had been destroyed as a result of his Operation Ore arrest.
He said of 8,000 pornographic images on his computer the vast majority were of legal adult material with only 45 images falling into the most serious categories involving children, and reports on him agreed he had demonstrated no paedophile tendencies.
Dagger, 24, admitted five sample charges of possessing indecent pseudo images of children on his computer when police visited his home in Lime Tree Avenue, Pontefract, in November last year. He was ordered to sign on the sex-offender register for five years.
He was based in the Wakefield district of the West Yorkshire force but resigned following his arrest.
Nicholas Barker prosecuting said after an investigation in the United States into a company called Landslide which had a number of web sites, information was passed to British police about those who had paid to access child porn sites.
It was revealed that in July 1999 Dagger had paid about 29 US dollars to access a site for 14 days.
On three of those days he downloaded pictures of children. A total of 86 photographs were found in various storage facilities but a number were repeats of the same 45 images.
Of the five images in the sample charges two were at Level Four and two at Level Three, none were in the most serious Level Five.
James Keeley for Dagger said his mother had died when he was 13 and his father when he was about 18 and that had a traumatic effect on him.
A psychiatrist now assessed he was suffering a depressive illness in 1999 when he became obsessed with the Internet and downloaded thousands of images of which only a tiny amount were of children.
 

Scout leader denies abuse of boys

A SCOUT leader charged with indecent assaults on boys has denied the allegations.
David Scrivener told York Crown Court yesterday he had never behaved improperly with any of the boys in his care.
Scrivener, 54, of Church Lane, Fylingthorpe, near Whitby, has pleaded not guilty to four charges of indecent assault – on three 10-year-old boys and a fourth aged 11 – on dates between February 1989 and September 2002.
A former District Commissioner in the Scout Association, Scrivener is alleged to have assaulted the boys during camps in North Yorkshire. Before he entered the witness box two of the boys gave evidence via a video link.
The two, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed Scrivener entered the tent they were sharing in Dalby Forest and touched them indecently, placing his hands inside their sleeping bags and inside their pyjamas.
Scrivener denied the allegations and said he went to the tent in the early hours to check on them after seeing one of the boys up and fully dressed.
When Jeremy Hill-Baker, prosecuting, suggested he had touched boys inappropriately, or hugged or cuddled them, Scrivener said: "No, definitely not."
The trial continues.
 

Child sex pest banned from every football match in England

THIS is balding, podgy John Crane, a child sex pest banned from every football ground in the country.

The 43-year-old has been excluded under the Football Association's Child Protection legislation.

He is suspected of videoing youngsters. Cops are also concerned about his behaviour and have had him placed under an interim sex offenders order. They are also applying for him to be put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The current police order carefully dictates what restrictions Crane is under. The grey-haired loner is banned from attending all football matches; using a camera or video camera unless supervised; associating with children under the age of 18 and working with youngsters.

Peter Clayton, from the Middlesex County Football Association, has been forced to warn clubs about Crane THREE times.

But the window cleaner, from Roehampton, south west London, persists in trying to infiltrate football clubs as a supporter—and even as a coach.

Threat

Earlier this month he had to be escorted from North Greenford United's ground by stewards and police.

Crane claimed then that the FA suspension had been lifted.

Mr Clayton, the Middlesex FA secretary, told clubs in a letter on April 7: "I can confirm that the suspension, which was imposed under the FA's Child Protection legislation, REMAINS IN PLACE. He is a potential threat to young people."

The News of the World confronted Crane about his activities.

He said simply: "I don't want to get into this." When pressed, he slammed the door.
 

Man jailed over child porn haul

A man caught with what is believed to be one of the biggest ever hauls of Internet child porn under the Operation Ore crackdown was jailed for four months today.

Nicholas Ferry, 42, was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court in Buckinghamshire after he admitted possessing 250,000 indecent pictures.

The father-of-two had also downloaded 495 obscene videos of youngsters on to his Apple Mac computer, the court heard.

Judge Roger Connor told Ferry he would serve half of his sentence, adding: "What makes this case stand out from many others that are similar is the very large quantity of material involved."

Ferry initially downloaded the material from credit card websites but later got it free from newsgroups, prosecutor Susan Drummond said.

Most of the photos were of a low level of indecency, but included one of a young girl tied up and a number taken at a Russian naturist camp.

"In some the victims were observed by officers to be clearly distressed," she said.

The majority of the videos were of a more serious nature, featuring children engaged in sexual acts with adults or with adults present.

Richard Germain, defending, said Ferry had started downloading the pictures as a way of coping with pressures at work and at home.

Ferry was a "house husband" and principal carer for his three-year-old daughter while his wife worked and looked after their newborn son.

Judge Connor said a jail sentence would affect Ferry's "very loving" relationship with his children, particularly his daughter.

The judge said he was also giving Ferry credit for pleading guilty to the 32 charges of making indecent images of children and for the fact that he did not use the images for profit.

But he added that Ferry had contributed to an "evil trade" resulting in "horrific" physical and emotional harm to children.

"Sadly I have come to the conclusion that it is necessary for me to mark the disapproval of society for this type of offence by passing a custodial sentence, but I see no sense at all in making it a long one," the judge said.

He ordered that Ferry should be placed on licence for two years and register with local police for seven years after his release, and that the hard drives on which the images were stored should be destroyed.

Thames Valley Police said the haul was the biggest seizure of Internet child pornography in its history and was believed to be one of the biggest in the county under Operation Ore.

Operation Ore is the UK's largest ever hunt against Internet paedophiles resulting in the arrests of more than 1,300 people on a list provided by United States police.
 

Mayor held in child porn inquiry

An elected mayor has been arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.

Conservative Chris Morgan, the mayor of North Tyneside Council, was answering bail in connection with an unrelated allegation that he indecently assaulted a teenager when he was re-arrested.

The 33-year-old has continued in his council role since he was first arrested last month.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "A 33-year-old Whitley Bay man, previously arrested on March 5 on suspicion of indecent assault, has been re-arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.

"The images do not relate to the complainant in the original element of the investigation."

Mr Morgan won the election to become mayor of North Tyneside last year. The council is in the constituency of former Transport Secretary Stephen Byers.

Mr Morgan was born in Wallsend and has lived most of his life in the borough.

He was educated locally and after studying at the University of Wales became a chartered accountant.

He was a local councillor for St Mary's ward since 1996 and he served as a finance spokesman on the council before the mayoral election.
 

Teenager in child sex attacks asks to stay in jail

A teenager has been jailed for life for sexually assaulting children, and says he wants to stay locked up until he is no longer a danger.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Paul Atkinson, 18, developed uncontrollable sexual urges towards children when he reached adolescence.

He had earlier admitted five counts of indecency with a child and two of rape.

Peter Harding-Roberts, defending, said: "He has made it abundantly clear to me that he is disgusted by his behaviour. He is terrified by his behaviour, not so much by what he has done, but for what he might do.

"He has made it abundantly clear that he does not wish to leave custody so long as he has these urges."

Mr Harding-Roberts told the court that Atkinson, of Plasturton Avenue, Canton, Cardiff, had himself been abused as a young child, adding: "He wants to be protected against his own desires."

One of Atkinson's victims was a six-year-old, and Mr Harding-Roberts said: "One can only hope that when the victims are as young as this the scars do not go as deep as they might with older children."

Jailing Atkinson, Judge John Griffith Williams said the teenager had no real understanding of the effect of his behaviour on his victims.

He said: "You have a high risk of reoffending. Your offending behaviour appears to be indiscriminate in that you offend against males and females."

The judge added a doctor who had seen Atkinson believed it should be possible to help him substantially with his problems. Atkinson was also ordered to be registered as a sex offender for life.
 

Man charged with child prostitution

A Shropshire man has been charged with child prostitution in the USA after allegedly offering an undercover detective money for sex with a nine-year-old girl while on holiday in America.
Robin Sprigg, 52, from Ellesmere, Shropshire, was arrested at a hotel in Mesa, Arizona, after agreeing to pay £300 (about $470) to have sex with the girl and for three Viagra tablets, according to police.

They said an undercover officer contacted Mr Sprigg after someone reported overhearing him say he wanted to have sex with a child.

He allegedly bought a pink dress and a teddy bear as gifts for the girl he was supposed to meet at the hotel where he was arrested.

Mr Sprigg was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual conduct with a minor and child prostitution during a hearing at West Mesa Justice Court.

He was remanded in custody.
 

Public school teacher admits porn charges

A teacher at a top public school has been told he could be jailed for downloading internet child pornography.
Philip Cooke, 43, pleaded guilty at Frome Magistrate's Court to five charges of making indecent images of children between 1997 and 2003.

Magistrates were told how Mr Cooke, who taught at Millfield School in Street, had hundreds of indecent images of children on computer equipment at his home.

Prosecuting, Suzanne Nicholas said police searched Mr Cooke's home in Keward Walk, Wells, as part of an international investigation into internet child pornography.

 I was weak and foolish and I looked - I was curious really - it was not for any sexual gratification

She said his name and details had been found on the database of a US company providing access to child pornography.

At Mr Cooke's home more than 360 indecent images of children and a number of movie clips of children were found, she said.

Initially Mr Cooke said he only looked at adult pornographic images on the internet, but later admitted to police that he had looked at child pornography.

Paul Walters, defending, said Mr Cooke had told police: "I was weak and foolish and I looked - I was curious really - it was not for any sexual gratification."

Mr Walters stressed the offences had nothing to do with Mr Cooke's employment and that he resigned when they emerged.

Sex offender

"He's utterly ruined himself as a result of what has happened - he's now jobless and will shortly be homeless," he added.

He also said Cooke denied using the US web site and did not know how his details had ended up on that database.

Magistrate John Price told Cooke that the offences were so serious that the court would consider a custodial term and ordered a pre-sentence report looking at all options.

Cooke was remanded on bail and told he must register with police as a sex offender.
 

Man jailed for sexually abusing young girl

A MAN from Oldham has been jailed for seven years for what a judge described as the systematic sexual abuse of a young girl.

Carl Marsland (47) pleaded guilty at Carlisle Crown Court to two charges of rape and nine of indecent assault.

The indecent assault charges were specimen examples of a course of conduct which lasted for six years.

His barrister Malcolm Dutchman-Smith said Marsland had been unusually frank about his problems and was willing to undergo any counselling or treatment to stop him reoffending.

The offences happened when Marsland, of Abbey Hills Road, was living in Cumbria in the 1990s.

The girl, who has now grown up, was aged from nine to 15 at the time. Judge John Phillips told Marsland he had corrupted the girl “on a massive and unforgivable scale”.

She had become so depressed and sad about what had happened to her that all her eyelashes fell out, he said.

“You made her your compliant victim and robbed her of a substantial part of her childhood,” he said.

He ordered him to register as a sex offender and banned him from working with children, both indefinitely.
 

Britons arrested in paedophile raids

Two British men have been arrested as part of an international crackdown on an Internet paedophile network.

Premises in five countries, including the UK, were searched and 21 people arrested, with some being interviewed in connection with making and distributing indecent images of children, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) said.

The men arrested in Britain - a 36-year-old retail manager from Worcestershire and a 51-year-old ex-engineer in the Merchant Navy, from Northamptonshire - were being questioned at an undisclosed location.

NHTCU officers worked along side the FBI, Europol, US Customs and other law enforcement agencies to co-ordinate the arrests as part of Operation Twins - an international operation targeting the infamous paedophile network The Brotherhood.

The latest raids follow the arrest of a man in Colorado earlier this year, who had been grooming a child in an Internet chat room, and meeting her for sexual purposes.

He was identified as Wizard - a senior member of The Brotherhood - and NHTCU officers travelled to the US in January to further their inquiries.

After forensic tests on the suspect's computer, a photograph was found showing seven men at a remote US farm for their annual meeting - code-named The Teddy Bear's Picnic.

More examinations identified those who attended or were invited to the meeting as coming from Canada, Germany, Norway, the UK and US, as well as other countries.

They were all said to be bulletin board owners and systems administrators - who monitor bulletin boards and provide technical and security advice to members to help them avoid police.

Using the information from the Teddy Bear's Picnic and other evidence, officers pinpointed the suspects who were arrested in the raids. As well as the two men arrested in the UK, 10 people were held in the US, seven in Germany, one in Canada and one in Norway.
 

Shame of Baptist church stalwart
A THEATRE lighting expert who downloaded child porn from the Internet was today starting a three month jail term.

Richard Ianson, 22, a prominent member of Brierfield Baptist Church who also worked for a group promoting the arts across East Lancashire, had more than 200 obscene images on his computer, magistrates heard.

District Judge Paul Firth said although those who viewed indecent pictures of children may not think so, there was always a victim -- and in some cases a seriously abused victim.

He told Ianson some of the images he had deliberately downloaded were "particularly disturbing" and added: "They are images of degrading activity. Images of child abuse. Images for which another person, not you, made financial profit.

"The person or persons who make profit could not do so unless you and others pay to view these images. That's the seriousness of this offending."

Ianson, of Victoria Avenue, Brierfield, had admitted five charges of making an indecent photo or pseudo photo of a child, between December 1 last year and January 23. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

Emma Keogh, prosecuting, told Burnley magistrates that the defendant, was arrested in the police swoop Operation Nickel. She said the children in the pictures were between ten and 14 and when police questioned Ianson he admitted he used the computer seized and nobody else did.

Geoff Ireland, defending, said there was no suggestion Ianson distributed the images or made any financial gain and he was very frank with the police. When they turned up, he told them: "I have been expecting you."

The pictures were on the defendant's hard drive and there was no evidence he had been printing them off, he said.

At the time of his arrest, Ianson had been working for Mid Pennine Arts but had lost his job because of what he had done.

Mr Ireland told the court a letter to the court from his former employer spoke very highly of his client and Ianson may now have difficulty in finding another job.

Mr Ireland added the defendant came from a supportive family who were all in court. He said they would help him through a stringent community punishment order if the court were to impose one.

District Judge Firth, who had read references on Ianson's behalf, said although the defendant had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, co-operated with the police, had no previous convictions and was formerly of "positive good character," the offences were so serious only custody could be justified.
 

Rapist is sent to jail for eight years

A Stourbridge man was today jailed for eight years for the rape of a schoolgirl.

Andrew Link, aged 31, of Cemetery Road, Lye, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Judge Christopher Hodson told him: "This was a serious offence; this young girl was entirely innocent.

"There can be no reduction in the sentence for a plea of guilty because you contested the case and she had to give evidence."

Link was convicted by a jury of 10 men and two women on May 1 after a five-day trial.

He was cleared of a further charge of indecent assault on the same victim on the direction of Judge Hodson.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on two other allegations of rape, one of gross indecency and one of indecent assault.

Prosecuting counsel Mr Simon Davis told the court today that the Crown was not seeking a retrial and formal not guilty verdicts were recorded.

Defending barrister Miss Bibi Ihuomah said her client had a good job and family responsibilities.

Judge Hodson also ordered that Link must remain on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.
 

International child porn ring smashed

Two UK men, both alleged members of The Brotherhood, a worldwide child porn ring, were arrested today in an "International Day of Action".

The UK men were among 21 "board owners, senior administrators and administrators of a complex Internet paedophile network have had premises under their control searched in five different countries in connection with making and distributing paedophilic images".

The UK arrests were a retail manager, 36, from Worcestershire; and an ex-engineer in the Merchant Navy, 51, from Northants. Others arrested or questioned today include ten Americans, seven Germans, one Canadian and one Norwegian.

The International Day of Action was conducted by the FBI, Europol, US Customs, and law enforcement agencies from Canada, Germany and the UK's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU).

The Brotherhood paedophile ring was unearthed at the beginning of this year when the FBI arrested a man in Colorado for "grooming a young child in a chat room and meeting her for a sexual purpose". NHTCU office identified the man as Wizard, a "board owner, and senior administrator of other boards and a member of The Brotherhood".

On Wizard's PC was found a photograph of seven men at at a remote farm in the US conducting their annual meeting, creepily codenamed 'The Teddy Bear's Picnic'.

Police identified the attendees and also those who were invited to the Teddy Bear's picnic. They came from Canada, Germany, Norway, the UK, the USA and other countries worldwide.

Said the NHCTU in a statement: "They are all owners, senior administrators, administrators of sophisticated hierarchical Bulletin Boards -
PR/LolitaLovers, Little Angels, Sanctuary, Board Admin, WizardsRealm, Chessboard, American Bowling Association, Lolita's Dream, The Old Farmhouse and Phil's Memorial Board."

Detective Superintendent Mick Deats, Deputy Head of the NHTCU said: "This operation has exposed the complex, sophisticated and organised hierarchical structure that on-line child abuse groups use to protect themselves, including their identities and the activities they are involved in, from those in the wider community, and in particular law enforcement.

"The fact that these people have come together in the real world as opposed to the virtual world shows how their confidence has grown. Initially they acted with anonymity on the Internet, but eventually had to further that by
meeting in the real world. That confidence was misplaced -- there is no hiding place on the Internet.

"Today is a mopping up exercise. To date we have identified and taken action on more than 60 people who are members of The Brotherhood and associated bulletin boards. Today's results illustrate an excellent example of how international law enforcement works in partnership, across multi-geographical jurisdictions, to identify and bring to justice those responsible for and engaged in serious sexual abuse of children."
 

Mercy for police officer who turned his back on child porn through revulsion

A POLICE officer from Sheffield, who swapped pictures of pre-teenage children engaged in sexual activity on the Internet, walked free from court in disgrace yesterday.

Former South Yorkshire traffic officer Richard Sweet, 49, would go on line, talk dirty and download indecent pictures of young girls with a man from Northern Ireland, Hull Crown Court was told.
Sweet's chat-room name was a crude anagram, which he used to build a collection of pornography, including 19 photographs of children that he stored on a disc to keep away from members of his family. The worst of the
images showed a child and an adult having sex.
He was sentenced to a three-year community rehabilitation order, which includes sex counselling, and placed on the National Sex Offenders' Register for five years.
Judge Mr Justice Andrew Smith told Sweet: "I want to make it clear that conduct of this kind does normally lead to imprisonment. Nobody must get any other impression. But because a particularly revolting feature occurred you took steps to put it behind you. I do feel that a non-custodial sentence is justified."
He said his decision to pass a community sentence was based on Sweet's decision to turn his back on child pornography before he was detected, because he had been revolted by it.
Sweet admitted making eight indecent images of children between 2000 and 2001, and one charge of distributing an indecent image of a child by e-mail.
He asked for six other offences to be taken into consideration.
 

Teacher and IT engineer jailed for 11 years for running child porn ring!

Two British men yesterday began prison sentences totalling 11 years and three months for their involvement in a sophisticated paedophile ring.

Simon Chan, a 27 year-old IT engineer from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, was sentenced to a total of five and half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute indecent images and admitting 20 counts of
making indecent images.

Robert Pearson, aged 50, a former deputy head teacher at Campion High School in Liverpool, pleaded guilty to 22 counts of making indecent images, one count of Conspiracy to distribute indecent images and three counts of indecent assault. He was sentenced to five years and nine months imprisonment.

Both men were also disqualified from working with children for life and placed on the Sex Offenders Register, again for life.

The men were part of a worldwide Internet paedophile network that broadcast abuse of children live on the Internet. The group was also involved in making and distributing indecent photographs and movies, according to investigators.

The abuse by these groups - called "Insurance" and "Holiday PartyTime" - came to light through Operation Informal, which began last July.

Operation Informal involved officers from the UK's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit working with law enforcement around the world to track down the owners and administrators of the secure areas on the Internet frequented by
members of the two groups.

The trail that led to Chan and Pearson began when officers from the UK's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) examined a US computer used by members of the two groups. This led to the identification of Simon Chan, a 27 year-old security IT engineer from Staines, through his nickname 'XMASBUNNY'. Officers from the NHTCU arrested Chan on 14 August 2002 and carried out an extensive search of his home.

Further examination of the computer and interviewing of Chan also identified another UK member, Robert Pearson (nicknames 'Eagle' and 'Harpy'), then a deputy head teacher at Campion High School in Everton,
Merseyside. Pearson was arrested on 21 August 2002.

The duo acted as sysadmins for the network and so their arrests and conviction are seen as some of the most significant of Operation Informal.

The paedophile groups, which had their own rules and regulations, employed "sophisticated techniques" to exchange files over secure servers in an attempt to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies, the NHTCU says.

A large quantity of computers and digital media was retrieved from the homes of these two men, including hard drives, CD-ROMs and videos. Chan's computer media alone contained more than 100 GB of material - equating to 28,000 images and 3,000 videos. Pearson's computers contained 60,000 images and 5,000 videos.

NHCTU officer received a commendation from Judge Addison for their work in uncovering Pearson and Chan's crimes.

Detective Superintendent Mick Deats, deputy head of the NHTCU, said: "We are delighted with the sentences handed out to these men. This was a lengthy and complicated operation, which drew on all the specialist skills
of our officers. Most importantly, a child who was identified as a result of this operation is no longer at risk.

"This group used some of the most sophisticated encryption, and through computer forensic techniques we were able to crack some of the encryption used and recover images as evidence.

"We are determined to identify, target and prosecute criminals who abuse children on or off-line, and want to send a clear message to other abusers that there is no hiding place for paedophiles on the Internet."

From Scotland Yard's MOST WANTED list:

David Paul Tolley, (aka David GRAY/David TOLLEY-GRAY), 26, is wanted on a bench warrant issued by Camberwell Magistrates Court on the 19th December 2000.

He was arrested in October of 2000 at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of importation of 1 kilo of cocaine. He was bailed and subsequently arrested by the Child Protection Unit at Camberwell. He was charged with seven counts of indecent assault and gross indecency involving two girls aged three and six years between the 1st July 1992 and the 1st of November 1992.

He was also charged with two counts of robbery. It is thought he may be in the Brixton area of London or possibly in the Caribbean.
 

Terry Finbar McCann, 58, is wanted by police in Erith South London in connection with a number of serious sexual assaults on two young girls.

McCann was charged at Plumstead police station on 23 July 2001 with six indecent assaults and two gross indecencies on one girl and five counts of indecent assault and four counts of rape on another girl.

All the charges relate to historical sexual abuse allegations, dating back to 1990/1. McCann was due to appear at Woolwich Magistrates Court on 26 July 2001. When he failed to appear, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He is believed to have connections with the Greenwich area and Dagenham in Essex - where his last known address was.
 

DOCTOR SNARED IN PORN NET
 
 A Senior gynaecologist at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire has been cautioned by police for making an indecent photograph of children. Gynaecologist Charles Redman has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Details of the case have been passed to the General Medical Council (GMC) - the profession's disciplinary body which has powers to strike doctors off the register and end their careers.

He has been off work from his post at the Hartshill hospital since January when he was questioned by officers in connection with an investigation into child pornography on the internet.

Their inquiry was part of Operation Ore - the nationwide probe which has involved the arrest or interview of thousands of people who have allegedly visited child porn sites.

The medic, who lives in Derbyshire, is one of more than 200 senior doctors at the 1,300-bed hospital.

A statement issued today by Derbyshire Police said: "We can confirm that a 46-year-old man from south-west Derbyshire was cautioned for the offence of making an indecent photograph of children. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years." A spokesman for the University Hospital said: "All we can say at present is that the consultant is still not at work."

People placed on the Sex Offenders Register must notify police if they change address so police can keep track of their movements but there is no public access to the register.

In January, hospital officials said there was no evidence that the consultant's work computer had been used in any illegal activity. Declining to confirm the consultant's identity, they said they were confident no patients had been put at risk. Asked whether Mr Redman's case had been referred to the GMC, a spokesman said: "We are aware of the doctor but we cannot say what if any action will be taken against him."

Mr Redman - a consultant in North Staffordshire for many years - also treats private patients at the Nuffield Hospital in Clayton where staff said today he was "on compassionate leave with no scheduled date for his return."

Operation Ore is the biggest-ever police inquiry into child pornography in the UK.

It is part of a worldwide operation led by the FBI in America and by January, 2,000 people were facing arrest. Police have drawn up names from a master list of 7,272 passed to them by the FBI.
 

Paedophile plans to return to town

A PAEDOPHILE named in a vigilante leaflet put through 250 Swindon letterboxes was due out of jail and expected to be back in town today.
He was sentenced to six years in 1998 for sexual offences against two boys, but granted early release last year.
However, last August, he was returned to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence after a breach of early release conditions which the police declined to talk about.
The previous month, a woman called Melanie Singer was arrested and cautioned over a public order matter after pushing leaflets through letterboxes in the neighbourhood where Adams was living.
The leaflets said in part: "Beware. Watch your children. Do you realise you have a convicted paedophile in your area?"
When the Evening Advertiser asked Adams for his reaction to the leaflets at the time, he would only say: "This is vicious ­ I shall be calling the police."
Adams was due for release today, and the Evening Advertiser understood that he planned to live in the same neighbourhood, which we have decided not to identify.
Detective Inspector Paul Jennings of Swindon CID declined to comment specifically on the Adams case, but said police had the situation under control.
He said: "Swindon police, in partnership with other agencies, operates a sensitive policing plan which deals with convicted sex offenders released into the community.
"Although we are unable to divulge details on individuals, we can confirm that registered sex offenders do live within the Swindon community and are registered with the police. Their registration enables us to maintain a current file as to where they are residing and other specific details.
"I would like to reassure the residents of Swindon that there are mechanisms in place for the police to maintain an appropriate response in line with individual risk assessment."
Adams' impending release has been the subject of a story in a national newspaper, which claimed that one of his victims was moving 100 miles to get away from him.
Melanie Singer, who claimed to be a friend of one of the victims, said after being cautioned: "The system stinks.
"People have every right to know if someone like this is living in their area, but because this man made a complaint the police were compelled to investigate and I was treated like the criminal.
"I can't help thinking that he had more rights than the rest of us."
When the Evening Advertiser called at the house where Adams was expected to stay on release, there was no answer at the door, and only a small number of neighbours were willing to say anything about him.
One, who asked not to be named, said: "This is terrible ­ I thought we had seen the last of him last year."