Feb 2008

‘Betty Boop’ paedophile handed community order

An internet paedophile with a history of sex offences going back to 1969 has been given a three-year community order.

Paul Hammond, 57, had used the name ‘Betty’ and ‘Betty Boop’ while collecting images from a smart group used by people distributing child pornography.

Luton Crown Court heard on Friday that, as part of an operation started in 2005, police obtained ‘Betty’s’ IP address and traced it to Hammond’s then home in Barton Road, Gravenhurst.

Prosecutor Simon Ash said officers raided the home in November 2006 and seized a laptop, computer tower, DVDs and floppy discs.

Hammond was arrested and taken to Greyfriars police station in Bedford. He told the officers he had viewed adult but had not looked at child pornography.

But on the first day of his trial Hammond, now of Harewood Road, Bedford, pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent images and one of possessing. In all there were 25 images – 21 at level one, the lowest, one at level two and three at level three.

The court heard that while living in a commune at Stroud in Gloucestershire in 1990, Hammond had taken explicit pictures of a young girl whom he had got to undress. He had been convicted of indecent exposure in 1984, 1980, 1973 and 1969.

Lesley Bates, defending, said Hammond had not distributed or published the pictures. She said he had never received treatment for his problems before and wanted help. She said he faced financial difficulties, having been made bankrupt in January last year.

Judge Barbara Mensah told him: “This is not a victimless crime. It involved the exploitation of children. The victims are real children.”

She passed a three-year community order with a condition that Hammond attends a Thames Valley sex offenders’ programme. He must register as a sex offender for five years and pay 250 costs.

In addition, the judge passed a sexual offences prevention order. For an indefinite period Hammond must not use software that hides or eliminates details of computer use, he must allow the police access to any computer he has, must not download anything from the internet unless it is for lawful employment, and must not be alone with anyone under 16.