May 2021

Child rapist who took photographs of abuse is jailed for 15 years

A Hadleigh paedophile who raped a young girl and took pictures of the vile abuse has been jailed for 15 years. 

Martin Woods, 42, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court for sentence after previously admitting seven offences relating to two victims. 

On April 9 at his plea and trial preparation hearing, Woods pleaded guilty to:

• Raping a child under the age the age of 13

• Sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13

• Two counts of taking indecent images of a child

• Three charges of making indecent images of children.

The abuse happened during 2020, the court heard. 

Claire Matthews, prosecuting, told the court Woods was arrested last year following a disclosure from one of the girls. 

As a result of his arrest, devices were seized from his home, Ms Matthews said. 

Recovered from former Port of Felixstowe dock worker Woods’ mobile phone were a number of indecent images which showed him abusing the two girls. 

Police also found four downloaded indecent images of children of the most serious kind – category A – along with two category B images and two category C images on an iPad. 

Officers also discovered numerous internet searches for indecent images of young prepubescent girls, Ms Matthews told the court. 

Woods, of Guthrum Road, Hadleigh, was further arrested for the indecent images offences but gave no comment to officers’ questions in interview. 

Sentencing Woods, Judge Emma Peters said the impact on the victims has been “profound”. 

Judge Peters called Woods’ offending “horrific” and that his internet search history showed he had a sexual interest in young girls. 

At the previous hearing, Judge Peters ordered a dangerousness report from the Probation Service to assess if Woods posed a risk to the public. 

She told the court she was satisfied that Woods did present a risk to the public. 

Judge Peters sentenced Woods to 15 years in prison with an extended licence period of six years. 

Woods will have to serve two thirds of his custodial sentence behind bars, meaning he will serve a minimum of 10 years before he is considered for parole. 

Judge Peters also imposed a indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register for life. 

May 2021

Ipswich paedophile jailed for downloading indecent images of boys

A now six time convicted paedophile from Ipswich who downloaded images of children being raped has been jailed for 12 months. 

Sentencing Peter Starck, Judge David Pugh said sex offender treatment programmes he had attended in the past had been unsuccessful and a psychiatrist and a probation officer had categorised him as being at “high risk” of reoffending.

“Time and time again you have been given opportunities to change your behaviour,” said the judge.

Starck, 41, of Kingsley Close, Ipswich, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children between December 2018 and December 2019. 

He was jailed for 12 months and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

He is already the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Ipswich Crown Court heard on Monday that in 2003 Starck was convicted of two offences of indecently assaulting two boys aged eight and 14 and was given a community order.

In 2015 he appeared in court for three offences of making indecent images of children and was again given a community order.

He also appeared in court in 2011, 2017 and 2018 for breaching court orders.

Emma Nash, prosecuting, said Starck was subject to monitoring by police because of his history of sex offending and in December 2019 during a routine visit a conversation of a sexual nature with a teenager was found on his phone.

When his phone was analysed it was found to contain images in the most serious level A category

All the images related to boys aged between nine and 15 and there was evidence of him deliberately searching for the images

Defence for Starck said his client accepted having a sexual interest in boys aged between nine and 15.

May 2021

Felixstowe man found with child abuse images given suspended sentence

A Felixstowe man who downloaded child sexual absue images and had more than 2,000 extreme pornographic images has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Police acting on information that an email address and a mobile phone had been used to view indecent images of children went to a caravan where Christopher Poulton was living in Walton Avenue, Felixstowe in August 2019, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Marc Brown, prosecuting, said that when Poulton’s laptop was analysed it was found to contain 52 indecent images of children in the most serious level A category, 45 level B images and 82 in the lowest level C category.

There were also 2,489 extreme pornographic images and 34 movies.

Poulton, 62, of Cobbold Road, Felixstowe, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children and was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He was also given a two-year community order, a 35-day rehabilitation activity order and ordered to do 80 hours unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £500 costs and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

May 2021

‘Dangerous’ stalker who targeted woman in her 30s fails to get jail term cut

A stalker from Suffolk has failed in a bid to have his sentence shortened.

Simon Bourdon was jailed for six years at Ipswich Crown Court in March last year – with an extended licence period – for the most persistent case of harassment one police officer had dealt with.

Bourdon, of Main Road, Woolverstone, was charged in November 2019 with stalking a woman in her 30s, six counts of breaching a restraining order and three counts of disclosing private images without consent.

In December 2019, he pleaded guilty to stalking, four counts of breaching the order and one count of disclosing private images.

The court heard how Bourdon had repeatedly contacted the woman by phone, post, email and on social media; sent her unwanted gifts and applied for a credit card in her name, and caused an unknown man to contact her with a view to meeting her for sex.

He also posted sexual images – taken without her knowledge – on a dating website and an Instagram account.

Bourdon had been made subject to the restraining order after being convicted of harassment against the same woman and sent to prison for eight weeks in February 2019.

He also had previous convictions for harassing a former partner in 2004, 2012 and 2014.

Bourdon, now 59, took his case to the Court of Appeal to complain that he should have received more time off for a guilty plea.

Bourdon had denied all allegations when arrested and interviewed, before resuming the stalking while released under investigation. 

When arrested again in July 2019, he denied all offences and was released, only to keep offending until his third arrest in November 2019.

At his first appearance before magistrates, he indicated pleas of not guilty or gave no indication of plea. 

Bourdon pleaded guilty to the six charges at Ipswich Crown Court and was jailed by Judge David Pugh, who allowed 25% credit for the guilty pleas.

Where a guilty plea is indicated at the first stage of proceedings, a reduction of one third should be made, subject to the accused needing further information or advice. After the first stage, the maximum level of reduction is one quarter.

Judge Pugh also determined that Bourdon was a dangerous offender and imposed an extended determinate sentence.

Peter Spary, representing Bourdon at the Court of Appeal, argued that the judge should have reduced the custodial term by 33%, because an intention to plead guilty was advanced at an early stage. 

Mr Spary also challenged the finding of dangerousness, highlighting a post-sentence psychiatric report, which noted ex-serviceman Bourdon’s history of PTSD, anti-depressant treatment and alcohol problems, and that any risk would be significantly reduced with therapy and help for alcohol abuse.

The report also said Bourdon was not a man the court would find dangerous, as defined for sentencing purposes.

The court dismissed the appeal, ruling that Judge Pugh was entitled to make the finding of dangerousness, and that Bourdon’s mental health problems did not reduce his culpability.