Man paid for 'horrific' child abuse material
A man who bought "truly appalling" images of children as young as five being sexually abused from a woman in the Philippines has been jailed.
Jamie Beckett, 37, paid for pictures, videos and live streams of the woman's children as well as several others being physically and sexually assaulted.
Beckett, a telecommunications engineer from Wakefield, pleaded guilty to 25 child sexual abuse offences at Leeds Crown Court in February.
Sentencing him to 16 years in prison, Judge Simon Batiste, said: "All the victims suffered considerably and it's clear you revelled in and enjoyed seeing their pain. The impact on the children will be horrific and lifelong."
The judge told Beckett he would have to serve an additional seven years on licence upon his release and would be on the sex offenders register for life.
He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
'Beyond words'
The court heard Beckett was arrested in December 2022 by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers following an investigation into a sex trafficking network in the island nation.
Online records revealed that between June 2020 and June 2022, he had exchanged 9,493 messages, 356 media files and about 39 calls with the woman in the Philippines, often providing specific instructions.
At one point he stated he wanted to travel to the Philippines to engage in the abuse himself.
In total, Beckett paid less than £560 for the abuse material, with payments ranging from £6.20 to £187.
The court heard the children, who were aged between five and 15, had since been safeguarded.
Judge Batiste said the case had been "beyond words".
"When you've worked in the Crown Court for a period of 30 plus years, you become somewhat immune to the horrors, but occasionally a case comes before you that is so vile and so horrific that you cannot help but be horrified. This is such a case," he said.
"It was truly appalling sexual abuse."
'Depraved'
Beckett kept his head bowed throughout most of the hearing.
His defence barrister told the judge he could not offer much in the way of mitigation but said his client had lost his marriage, home and family, and was "embarrassed and ashamed".
Danielle Pownall, NCA's senior investigating officer, described Beckett as a "depraved individual with a blatant disregard for children".
"Beckett completely dehumanised his victims, paying pitiful amounts of money in exchange for images and videos of extreme child abuse," said Pownall.
"The transactional relationship between Beckett and the facilitator exploited the victims' vulnerability and circumstances.
"With thanks to US law enforcement colleagues and the Philippine National Police, the NCA was able to identify Beckett and bring him to justice."
Police welcome life term for Runcorn child rapist Robert Mattravers
THE life sentence handed down to a monstrous Runcorn child rapist has been welcomed by the police force that locked him up.
Robert Mattravers, of Russell Road in Runcorn, was sentenced to life in prison at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday, with the minimum term set at 11 years and eight months.
Only after he has served this minimum term will his case go before the parole board for consideration if he is safe to be released.
The 47-year-old paedophile was sentenced for multiple sex offences after he sexually abused two children in Connah’s Quay, north Wales.
He admitted to four counts of rape of a child, two counts of sexual assault of a child, five counts of sexual activity with a child, and sole counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing a child to watch sexual activity.
Mattravers also pleaded guilty to charges involving the taking and possession of indecent images of children.
The defendant was arrested after one of his victims disclosed the offences to a member of staff at school.
An investigation was launched, and a subsequent examination of his phone found indecent images of children.
Mattravers was also ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely and barred from working with children and vulnerable adults for life.
A lifetime restraining order was also put in place to protect both victims and their parents.
Speaking after sentencing, DC Victoria Griffiths of North Wales Police, said: “Robert Mattravers is a danger to children.
“I am pleased that the sentence reflects the seriousness and depravity of the offences he committed.
“He will remain on licence for the rest of his life and, if he is ever freed, he can be recalled to prison at any time.
“I commend the bravery and dignity of the victims and their families for having the courage to assist with the investigation, and for their resilience throughout.
“We will leave no stone unturned when investigating those who seek to do harm to vulnerable members of our society.
“Any victim of sexual abuse is encouraged to come forward with the confidence that they will be heard and supported.”
The parents of the victims had impact statements read out to the court, where they described Mattravers’ offending as 'sickening and depraved', and him as a 'monster'.
They said that the pain caused is 'indescribable', commenting: “Every day until, probably the day I die, I will never be able to heal from the amount of hurt this has caused.”
Mattravers is also required to sign the sex offender register for life, and he must abide by the terms of life-long restraining orders put in place to protect the victims.
