July 2019

Man, 62, who ordered a 3ft child sex doll from China walks free from court

A paedophile who imported a 3ft 6in child sex doll from China has been given a suspended sentence.

Graeme Seward, 62, of Park Avenue, Sutton-in-Craven, near Skipton, North Yorkshire, was caught after the doll was discovered by Border Force officers at East Midlands Airport in August 2017.

Seward had claimed that he believed it was adult-sized when he ordered it from China, but an examination of the seller’s advert clearly showed the dimensions of the doll, its child-like face and its height. 

Following Mr Seward’s arrest, officers also found 22 prohibited cartoon images of children engaged in sexual acts and an examination of his computer revealed he had accessed text-based stories about child sexual abuse within an hour of ordering the doll. 

Seward was given 10 months in prison suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, and issued with a 40-day rehabilitation requirement and six-month alcohol treatment programme. 

He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his use of the internet and allowing the police to monitor its use. 

He had pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court to the improper importation of an indecent or obscene article, possessing a prohibited image of a child and fraudulently evading prohibition or restriction in relation to a child sex doll. 

After the discovery of the doll, the Eastern Region Specialist Operations Unit, which is funded by seven regional police forces in the East of England, traced the importation of the doll to Mr Seward.

The case was then transferred to North Yorkshire Police to investigate.

As part of the investigation, the doll was examined by a paediatric doctor who also confirmed that its dimensions were those of a child.