They ‘Forgot’ to Mention the Child Abuse & Rape Gang’s Colour, Ethnicity or Racial Background
You could be forgiven for missing the
story. Unlike the Pakistani gang who
committed similar outrages (though from memory not on babies) in Rochdale,
there was no mention of their ethnic origins, colour or background. They were of course White. No one sought to suggest that there might be
a link between their Whiteness and their vile behaviour because most people
understand that people like this commit these atrocities for reasons that have
nothing to do with their race, colour, ethnicity or whatever.
Denham and Stansfield were part of a child sex abuse ring that planned to abuse a baby that had not yet been born |
‘Vile and depraved’ UK gang raped and abused babies
Members of a paedophile network whose crimes
were described as the most “vile and depraved” police had seen have
been convicted of arranging abuse.
John Denham, 49, and Matthew Stansfield, 34, had denied plotting sex crimes
against the victims.
They were found guilty after a trial at Bristol Crown Court. Five other
members had earlier admitted various offences.
The group used the internet to plan and stream abuse and tried to groom
pregnant women in order to find new victims, the trial heard.
This
prosecution will take you into a world you wished did not exist Robert
Davies, Prosecutor
In one case, they groomed a mother and father before their child was
born.
Officers from the National Crime Agency, which led the investigation, said
the crimes were the most “vile and depraved” it had ever
investigated.
Earlier, a jury convicted former actor Denham, 49, from Wiltshire –
previously known as Benjamin Harrop – of conspiracy to sexually assault a child
under 13.
Stansfield, 34, from Hampshire, was found guilty of conspiracy to rape a
child under 13. Denham was cleared of the same charge.
Five others pleaded guilty to offences including rape of a child and
conspiracy to rape at an earlier hearing. They are:
- Robin Hollyson, 30, from Bedfordshire
- Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester
- David Harsley, 51, from Hull
- Matthew Lisk, 32, from East Sussex
- Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset
A date is yet to be set for their sentencing.
The investigation identified three victims – a baby, a toddler and a young
child – who were raped and assaulted by the men who had gained the trust of
unsuspecting parents.
They met online and were prepared to drive for hours to carry out abuse when
an opportunity became available, police said.
The gang also discussed the drugging of children and used video conferencing
websites to broadcast the abuse to fellow members.
Police believe there were other victims, and have put measures in place to
protect another 21 children found to be at risk.
Despite the men’s efforts to destroy evidence, police were able to retrieve
webchats where the gang discussed their plans, with comments such as “I’m
really in to v.v. young”, and “sicker the better”.
‘Abhorrent fantasies’
Material which could lead to the arrest of other paedophiles has been sent
on to police forces on five continents.
Prosecutor Robert Davies told the jury in the Denham and Stansfield trial:
“This prosecution will take you into a world you wished did not exist.
“The evidence exposes the shocking interest a group of men had in
sexually abusing babies, toddlers or pre-school children.
“A real baby was for certain abused and raped by some of those
involved.”
Earlier in the trial, Denham told the court he had become
“desensitised” after watching a young teenage girl performing a sex
act on a man, and the age range “dropped lower and lower”.
He said he was “ashamed” of deriving sexual gratification from
child pornography and now understood there were “real victims”.
The NSPCC has described the case as “vile” and is running a
helpline for anyone worried their child may have been a victim.
“These men shared their abhorrent fantasies and honed in on very young
children for sickening abuse, on easily accessible sections of the
internet,” a spokesman said.
“They even callously targeted pregnant women.
“It shows that there is still a long way to go for technology companies
and social media networks who work with police to identify and prevent these
crimes.”