April 2011

Pervert caught with indecent images of children as young as two

A former emergency call operator who escaped jail for downloading child-sex images claimed he was sexually abused by a senior Metropolitan Police officer.

Jason Cullen, from Charles Street,  Croydon, made the astonishing allegation at Sutton Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 4, after pleading guilty to possessing indecent images of children.

Cullen, whose real name is Jason Hodson, was arrested on February 25 after his new wife’s grandmother, who lives in Sutton, discovered 20 vile images of children as young as two on her laptop.

The 27-year-old had been using the elderly woman’s PC to access the depraved photographs.

His wife’s grandmother, who informed the police, had found entries for the websites in the history section of her computer.

But Cullen’s solicitor, who praised the “strength” of her client forfully co-operating with police, said he “wanted to be caught” because, despite his computing expertise, he deliberately failed to remove the damning evidence of his sick behaviour.

When questioned after his February arrest, Cullen told police: “I am a paedophile, I cannot help it. I cannot control it but I do not get any sexual gratification from it.”

The former South East Coast Ambulance Service call operator was jailed at Kingston Crown Court for two years in 2009, after more than 8,000 indecent images of children and babies were found on his home computers.

The court had earlier heard how Cullen swapped pictures with other perverts online, some of which were rated as the most degrading level possible.

Cullen was released from prison on licence after a year and changed his name from Hodson via deed poll after death threats.

His solicitor told the court her client’s behaviour coincided with the beginning of the alleged abuse.

He claimed the abuse took place in 2000 when he was 16, but no one was ever arrested, charged or prosecuted following the allegations.

Following his guilty plea earlier in April, magistrates decided not to imprison the sex offender despite ordered the probation service to compile a report prior to sentencing and stated that a second jail term was an option.

But Cullen dodged prison because he had already spent 14 weeks in custody since his arrest.

The sex offender, who pleaded guilty to the 20 charges, was asked to return to court on April 18 when he will be sentenced.

Magistrates told Cullen: “This is a very serious offence which could have invoked a prison sentence but we are going to help you with this issue.”

He was handed a community order for 18 months and was fined £85.

Cullen must also sign on the sex offenders’ register for five years and must adhere to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

Under the order he must only use laptops, smart phones and PCs for work purposes and he must also submit any of those items for search by police at any given time.

Finally he must not stay at a premises with any child under 18, except at hotels.