January 2013

Popley paedophile has his jail term increased

A SEX predator, locked up for seducing a schoolgirl and downloading child abuse images, has had his “unduly lenient” jail term more than doubled by appeal judges.

Christopher Hayward, 28, was twice the age of his teenage victim when he took her virginity, the Court of Appeal heard, continuing to have unprotected sex with her on “eight or nine occasions” in 2010.

He received a sentence of two years and two months from Judge John Dixon at Winchester Crown Court last July, after he was convicted of three counts of sexual activity with a child.

The case came before the appeal court as lawyers for the Attorney-General, Dominic Grieve QC, urged top judges to increase the sentence.

Reviewing the case, Lord Justice Toulson said Hayward, of Holyrood Court, Buckskin, Basingstoke, coaxed the 13-year-old into woods, where the pair engaged in sex sessions.

The police were finally tipped off after the girl’s friends became “concerned and suspicious”. She briefly ran away from home, but was finally persuaded to return and disclose the affair.

When Hayward’s then home, in Falkland Road, Popley, was searched, officers discovered 5,000 indecent images of teenage girls on his computer, the court heard.

Hayward admitted making and possessing indecent images of children – although the prosecution accepted he had “accidentally” downloaded the material, the judge said.

The Gazette reported how Adrian Fleming, defending Hayward, said the 13-year-old victim was “a willing participant ” and “old beyond her years”.

Lord Justice Toulson, sitting with Mr Justice Langstaff and Judge Anthony Morris QC, said the crown court judge took too much account of the teenage victim’s views when passing sentence. “There was no justification for a sentence below four years,” he told the court.

The Appeal Court upped Hayward’s sentence to four-and-a- half years.

July 2012

Christopher Hayward had ‘predilection for young girls’

A BASINGSTOKE man with a “predilection for young girls” has been jailed for more than two years for having sex with a 13- year-old and for possessing thousands of indecent images.

Christopher Hayward, 28, had sex with the girl several times between July 30 and September 22, 2010, Winchester Crown Court was told.

He was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child after a three-week trial in June and was back in court to be sentenced.

Prosecutor David Jenkins said Hayward, of Holyrood Court, Buckskin, was convicted after a jury was made aware of “compromising texts” and communication on social media between the two.

But Mr Jenkins said more than 5,000 indecent images of children aged between 13 and 18 were found when police seized Hayward’s computer from his then-address, in Falkland Road, Popley, when they arrested him on suspicion of sexual activity with a child.

He pleaded guilty in June 2011 to 14 counts of making and possessing indecent images of children on the basis that he did not intend to download all of the indecent images and did not accept all of the images were of children.

The vast majority – 5,013 – of the images were at the lowest category of seriousness – level one.

A further 48 were at level two, 43 at level three, 198 at level four and one image was classed as falling within the highest category of level five. Defending Hayward, Adrian Fleming said the 13-year-old was “a willing participant at the time” and “old beyond her years”.

He told Judge John Dixon: “She was, as she herself says, jointly responsible. She was as keen as he was to start a relationship.”

Sentencing Hayward, whose girlfriend and family attended court, Judge Dixon said: “You behaved in a shocking and predatory manner towards that little girl and you took from her, part of her youth and innocence.”

Telling Hayward he did not see him as a hardened sexual offender, he remarked: “You plainly had a predilection for young girls.”

He sentenced Hayward to a total of two years imprisonment for the counts of sexual activity with a child.

For the possession of indecent images of children, Hayward was sentenced to two months imprisonment, running consecutively.

He was told by Judge Dixon he would serve at least half the 26-month sentence.