September 2014

Dangerous paedophile jailed for directing filmed rapes of children loses appeal

michaeleller

A paedophile who “arranged for the rape and sexual assault” of girls as young as three – and took payments from a sick internet audience – has been told by top judges that his “severe” 14-year jail term was not a day too long.

Michael Francis Eller, 68, used a Skype link to “direct” adults in the Philippines to rape and abuse girls, aged from three to 12, on camera.

He took money through Paypal from twisted online perverts who wanted to view the children’s violation.

Eller, of Plover Close, Berkhamsted, was jailed for 14 years at St Alban’s Crown Court in December last year.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, breach of a sexual offences prevention order, possession of indecent photographs of a child, acquiring criminal property and breach of a community order.

Today his lawyers asked Lord Justice Lloyd Jones, Mr Justice Nicol and Mr Justice Lindblom, sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, to reduce that sentence on appeal.

Eller, a married man, had been banned from private internet surfing and had security software installed on his computer, after being caught with child porn images in 2012. He was also hit with a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

Police inspecting information captured from his surfing history by the security software discovered that he was using Skype to direct a man and woman, based in the Philippines, to rape girls aged between 10 and 12 and sexually abuse girls as young as three.

He paid the adults on 78 occasions to carry out the abuse and acted as a middleman for a paedophile internet audience, taking payments from 30 people for viewing the sex acts.

Eller’s lawyers today nevertheless argued he had been treated “too harshly” by the courts.

But Mr Justice Lindblom disagreed, and dismissing his appeal, said: “He caused these children to undergo rape and degradation for his pleasure.

“They will go through their lives knowing the they had been abused for the pleasure of a paedophile and that abuse had been recorded. Arranging the rape of children for his pleasure was unspeakably vile, and doing it for profit was even worse.

“He arranged for the rape of very young children. The evidence against him was overwhelming. It may be that the sentence of 14 years was severe but it was not manifestly excessive.”

December 2013

‘Grubby’ paedophile jailed for directing filmed rapes

A paedophile who directed filmed rapes of young children live on the internet has been jailed for 14 years.

Michael Eller, 67, set up a Skype link from his Hertfordshire home to instruct adults in the Philippines to rape and abuse young girls.

Others paid to watch the broadcasts, St Albans Crown Court heard.

Judge John Plumstead said victims “will spend their whole lives knowing that, for the pleasure of grubby paedophiles, they have undergone abuse”.

He added: “The cold-hearted cruelty of it is beyond comprehension.”

Eller, of the Hilltop Estate, in Berkhamsted, pleaded guilty to five charges of arranging sex offences involving children from three years old to their early teens.

The grandfather also admitted possessing indecent photographs of a child and breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

‘Overcome with disgust’

Judge Plumstead said Eller, a married man, had shown no sign of remorse and had failed to understand the gravity of his crimes.

“How any sane human being can direct the rape of children without being overcome with disgust is beyond me,” said the judge.

The court heard how the retired financial director paid the adults about $30 (£18) to rape and abuse the children.

He would type out instructions on what he wanted them to do while his unsuspecting wife was elsewhere in the house.

Eller was already the subject of a sex offender prevention order following an August 2012 case where he pleaded guilty to five counts involving indecent images of children.

He had to register as a sex offender for five years.

In February, police installed software on his computer to monitor his use.

‘Unspeakably vile’

Prosecutor Michael Speak said that in September, officers from the Hertfordshire Police found him using Skype to talk to a naked woman in the Philippines who was with a naked girl aged about 10 to 12 years old.

“The typed conversation indicated that the defendant was instructing the female to commit sexual offences against this young girl,” he said.

Officers discovered him using the system for a similar purpose in October and he was arrested.

The prosecutor said the defendant wrongly assumed the software only monitored images saved on the hard drive and not live streaming.

Eller admitted to police he had given instructions for the abuse.

Judge Plumstead said Eller was a “serious risk to children” and said arranging the abuse for his own gratification was “unspeakably vile”.

He was made the subject of a 20-year sexual offences prevention order and will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Speaking after the case, Det Sgt Sarah Corr said the case proved monitoring of offenders worked.

August 2012

Berkhamsted church volunteer had child abuse images on his computer

Church-going Michael Eller called the police himself after a message on his computer told him he would be reported to the authorities for sexual chat with a 14-year-old girl.

The retired financial director was communicating with an underage girl called Claire on a site called ‘Chat Roulette’ when a banner appeared saying his computer address was being noted.

After confessing to his wife, Eller called the police and his computer was seized. When it was examined child sex abuse images were found, St Albans Crown Court heard.

Eller, 66, from Berkhamsted, pleaded guilty to five counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing indecent images at the magistrates’ court. No charge was brought in connection with the contact he had with the girl called Claire.

Prosecutor Rebbeca Smith said that on October 6 last year Eller telephoned the police out of concern over the message that appeared on his computer.

Eller admitted when questioned that the conversation became sexual and that he sent her an image of a penis.

He denied he had any indecent images of children on his computer and was bailed by the police. But when the Dell computer was examined officers found 148 images. 90 were at Level 1, the least serious level, 6 were at Level 2, 22 at Level 3, 23 at Level 4 and 7 at Level 5, the most serious level.

Defence barrister Gary Adel said: “Mr Eller is a retired financial director, who has been married for 37 years and is a grandfather. His wife is deeply upset as is his family.

“He does voluntary work for his church and is a regularly attends St Peter’s Church in Berkhamsted.”

Mr Adel said Eller has been diagnosed as being bi-polar. He said: “He expresses full remorse and accepts responsibility. He is totally ashamed and embarrassed.

“He was on the Chat Roulette site and saw the banner saying that it was an offence to meet people under 16. The next day he spoke to his wife by way of confession and he reported himself to the police.”

Judge Martin Griffith passed a three year Community Order with a condition that Eller attends the Thames Valley Sex Offender Group Programme. He must register as a Sex Offender for five years and will be subject to a Sex Offender Prevention Order. It means he cannot access the internet until the police install risk management software and he must not use software that deletes or encrypts data.

The judge told Eller: “I could have no difficulty in sending you straight to custody, but the sentence I am passing is more onerous. Probation are going to be in the best position to make sure that this offence never happens again.

“I have taken account your good character, your guilty plea and that it was you that notified the police. Go away and don’t come back.”