Category Archives: Hampshire

Damon Bower – Southsea/Swindon/Torquay

03 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by in Devon, Hampshire, Wiltshire

≈ Comments Off on Damon Bower – Southsea/Swindon/Torquay

Update: Now living in Torquay, Devon

Former Swindon councillor in court after vile child abuse videos found on his iPhone

A perverted ex-councillor who championed faster broadband speeds and blasted police as incompetent has been spared jail – despite downloading vile abuse images of children.

Damon Bower, who once served as vice-chairman of Haydon Wick Parish Council last year, had a film on his iPhone showing a girl of between eight and 10 years of age being sexually assaulted.

The 49-year-old had a small collection of indecent images on his mobile, together with fantasy stories detailing child abuse.

However, after hearing Bower had lost everything as a result of his conviction, a judge stepped short of jailing him – instead imposing a community order.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court police had visited the paedophile councillor’s north Swindon home last June. They had received a tip-off that someone at the address had uploaded vile material to the internet

On Bower’s mobile phone, detectives found a film in the worst category, another short clip in the middle band and images in the lower range.

He said, though not the subject of any charges, they also found a number of fantasy stories talking about child abuse on his devices.

“Once these were examined the defendant was interviewed. He admitted that he knew what indecent images of children were,” Mr Meeke said.

“He accepted that he was the account holder and he said that he was vehemently opposed to child pornography because someone he knew had been raped at a young age and he would never let anyone hurt children.

“He accepted he had indulged in fantasy chat about child sex abuse. He couldn’t remember how he received the images of child sexual abuse, he assumed it must have been through some sort of private messages. He accepted there would be some. He knew it was wrong and he apologised for it.”

Bower, formerly of Oakhurst, but now living in Southsea, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.  

Imposing a three-year community order, Judge Peter Crabtree said: “It needs to be clear, if it isn’t clear, this is a course I am taking which is a direct alternative to an immediate custodial sentence.”

He pointed out that there was a relatively low number of images recovered by the police and probation believe he can be managed and rehabilitated in the community.

Bower must abide by a sex offenders’ programme as directed, do 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation days and abide by a sexual harm prevention order.

He served as a Haydon Wick parish councillor from 2015 to July 2018, when he stepped down. He had served as vice-chairman of the council and subsequently as chairman of the planning committee.

Bower welcomed a parish revamp of children’s play areas in late 2016, telling the Adver it showed what the council could do for the community.

In May 2017, he welcomed the prospect of faster broadband speeds as BT Openreach began installing new cables in north Swindon following a residents’ campaign.

Later that year, he was quoted in the Adver grilling Wiltshire’s police commissioner on the perceived lack of response from police in the face of gang violence in Haydon Wick. Residents were patrolling the streets because they felt police were “inept and incompetent”.

David Taylor – Bournemouth

03 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by in Hampshire, Hunting Team, Police sting

≈ Comments Off on David Taylor – Bournemouth

March 2021

Paedophile snared by undercover police at Bournemouth Pier

A convicted paedophile who arranged to meet a ‘mother and her two daughters’ with the intent of having sexual activity with a child has been jailed after a undercover police sting.

David Merrick Taylor began talking to a woman online who he believed was a single mother who had two daughters, aged eight and 11.

Taylor sent pictures of himself and discussed what he wanted to do to the girls before arranging a meeting at Bournemouth Pier.

The meeting in January came just days after first exchanging messages with the undercover officer who had assumed the role of the fictional mother.

The 48-year-old was then identified by officers and arrested.

He had a rucksack with him which contained lubricant, condoms and sweets.

The defendant, of Havilland Road East, Bournemouth, admitted a charge of attempting to arrange or facilitate sexual activity with a child at Poole Magistrates’ Court on January 23.

He was jailed for four years after appearing at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Prosecuting, Richard Sedgwick said Taylor committed this offence while subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which had first been issued following an extremely similar crime in 2017.

On that occasion he was caught by a paedophile hunter group, who passed information on to police.

Mr Sedgwick said on January 19 of this year the defendant started messaging the undercover police officer on messaging service Chatiw and the content of what he said became explicit and of a sexualised nature.

The meeting was arranged in the days that followed and officers arrested the defendant at the pier.

Judge Brian Forster QC said the case was “particularly serious” given the defendant had been sentenced to a significant period of imprisonment for a very similar offence in 2017 and he was already subject to a SHPO.

“You travelled to this area (the pier) for the purpose of carrying out sexual activities with a child aged eight or 11,” said the judge.

“You travelled to the area equipped with lubricant gel, fruit flavoured condoms children’s sweets and binoculars.”

He added: “Courts have a clear duty to deter sexual predators from committing crimes against children.”

Taylor was placed on the sex offender’s register indefinitely, with terms of a new SHPO made at a later hearing.

September 2017

Trowbridge man jailed after online sting

A man who was caught by an online child protection team when he went to meet a “girl” he groomed online has been jailed.

David Taylor, 45, made online sexual approaches to what he thought was an 11-year-old before arranging to meet her in Bath in April.

When Taylor, of Rodwell Park, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, arrived he was confronted by the unnamed team

Taylor was jailed for 40 months after he admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Police launched an investigation and traced Taylor from a video of the confrontation posted on Facebook.

After being arrested Taylor told police he had taken condoms with him to the meeting outside a KFC restaurant.

James Haskell, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court : “It seems this person had effectively sought to emulate what is referred to as ‘paedophile hunters’ and that person engaged in online chat conversations with the defendant pretending to be an 11-year-old girl.

“The defendant engaged in conversations with that person believing it was a child under 13. He sent photographs of himself and he engaged in conversations of a sexually explicit nature.”

Taylor was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Kyle McGhee – Minstead

02 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by in Hampshire

≈ Comments Off on Kyle McGhee – Minstead

Man appears at Southampton Crown Court for recording sex video

A man filmed an underage girl having sex during one of his “idiot moments”.

Kyle McGhee filmed a 15-year-old girl having sex, a court heard.

He went on to show the video to four people and was said to be proud of what he had done.

Prosecution barrister, Michael Forster told how the girl later asked for him to delete the footage.

During a police interview, McGhee of Bull Lane in Minstead admitted filming the video.

Mr Forster said that he even claimed: “She was loving it and it was just a laugh. It was one of my idiot moments.”

Aged 17 at the time of the incident, the hospitality worker was initially arrested on suspicion of rape but not charged.

Instead McGhee, now 20, was charged with taking an indecent photograph of a child – to which he pleaded guilty.

Defending, John Dyer cited his client’s background mentioning he born with foetal drug syndrome – impacting his cognitive abilities – and was adopted.

He emphasised McGhee’s immaturity at the time and how long the offence – which happened in Romsey on July 1, 2018 – took to reach the courts.

His previous convictions include three counts of assault by beating and one count of using threatening and abusive language.

He also has drug and driving convictions.

At Southampton Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Rowland jailed him for 15-months, suspended for 18-months.

He will have to complete 40 days of rehabilitation activities and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Robert Billson – Liverpool/Bournemouth

13 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by in Hampshire, Merseyside

≈ Comments Off on Robert Billson – Liverpool/Bournemouth

February 2021

Businessman who blamed ‘work pressure’ for most sickening images imaginable walks free

A businessman was caught with indecent images of kids and extreme indecent images or movies involving dead babies while he was living at a church vicarage.

Robert John Billson, 63, described himself as the owner of a multi-million pound recycling company to police.

But while living at The Church Of The Holy Spirit in Dovecot, he downloaded the most sickening photos imaginable.

These included files categorised as extreme pornography which included dead children.

A judge branded Billson’s “library” of more than 500 illegal images “vile” and said some were “seriously extreme”.

But the paedophile walked free from Liverpool Crown Court on Friday after claiming he “lost his moral compass” while under pressure at work.

Police received information that a child sex abuse image was uploaded onto the internet from an email address via Google Photos in early 2019.

Simon Christie, prosecuting, said officers traced this email to Billson, who was living at the church vicarage in Dovecot Avenue.

Officers raided the address on January 24, explained why they were there and asked Billson if he knew anything about it.

He replied: “Yes, I know what you’re talking about, but I can’t remember the image – the two devices you need are upstairs.”

Officers found 52 Category A indecent images – the most serious category showing child rape – on a laptop, iPhone and tablet.

They found a further 39 Category B and 243 Category C files, 40 prohibited images of children, and 135 extreme porn files.

When interviewed, Billson admitted searching for and downloaded the content.

Mr Christie said: “He explained he owned a multi-million pound recycling company in Northern Ireland and had allowed at least 15 members of staff to use his computers for business purposes.

“He said he had been under pressure at work and lost his moral compass when alone at night in hotel rooms.”

Mr Christie said the indecent images showed boys and girls, some as young as four, being sexually abused, while computer generated images portrayed toddlers being molested.

He said one extreme porn photo involved a dead baby and a man, while another involved a dead girl with a man at a mortuary.

Billson, now of Draycott Road, Bournemouth, admitted three counts of downloading and one count of possessing indecent images of children, plus possessing prohibited images and extreme porn.

Judge Byrne handed Billson 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, a 60-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and a two-month home curfew, from 7pm to 6am daily.

Billson must sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Data from Companies House shows Billson has been the director of multiple dissolved firms based in Chester and Preston, including Material Works and Revolve Recycling.

 

Nigel Grigg – Bournemouth

10 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by in Hampshire, Police sting, Teacher

≈ Comments Off on Nigel Grigg – Bournemouth

February 2021

Paedophile snared in undercover Kik Messenger police sting

A former teacher has been deemed to pose a significant risk to members of the public after he made arrangements to commit sexual acts on an ’11-year-old girl’.

Nigel Peter Grigg communicated on messaging platform Kik with a man called ‘John’ who had said he was willing to provide his ‘daughter’ for sexual activities.

‘John’ was in fact an officer from the police South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU).

Grigg arranged to meet ‘John’ and his ‘daughter’ with the intention of committing child sex offences.

The 69-year-old purchased presents for the ‘girl’, including items from Ann Summers.

Shortly after arriving at the agreed meeting point – McDonald’s in Totton – he was arrested by police.

Sentencing Judge Robert Pawson said: “The facts of this case make chilling reading for any parent, or any person in fact.”

Grigg was jailed for five years and issued with a two-year extended licence period at Bournemouth Crown Court after Judge Pawson deemed him to be a dangerous offender.

This was after he admitted a single charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence between March 4 and March 12 last year.

Prosecuting, Jane Rowley told the court Kik was being used by paedophiles and this activity was being investigated by the ROCU.

She said online communication took place between the defendant, using the display name Randy Peter, and the undercover police officer posing as adult male ‘John’.

Ms Rowley said there was subsequent telephone contact between the two and two meetings were arranged.

The prosecutor said the evidence “clearly shows his sexual interests in children and efforts to groom the child”.

Grigg posted on Kik he was “looking for anyone near Bournemouth and interested in taboo family fun”.

“Conversation from the outset was sexual,” said Ms Rowley.

Summarising the case, Judge Pawson said Grigg had “boasted” on Kik that he had “done a 13[-year-old] in Thailand”.

The defendant had time to reconsider his actions and time to realise the risk and the magnitude of what he was doing, said Judge Pawson.

Grigg was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must be placed on the sex offenders register for life.