Three Devon paedophiles were released by Judge David Evans where a custodial sentence could have been applied. Paedophiles Michael Lloyd, Keith Foster, and Liam Jeffs are free to offend again and back in your community. The paedophiles were not known to each other.
Michael Lloyd, 50, Torquay, pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images of children in categories A, B and C, and one offence of possessing 175 extreme pornographic images of sex involving animals.
Following information of photos being posted online, police conducted a warrant search at Torquay house in November 2022. Lloyd told officers who grabbed memory sticks, hard drives, and computer towers, “I know what you are referring to.” The most horrific category A (baby rape, kid torture and rape, animal rape by child, etc.) had 33 photographs; the remaining two included 60 images. Lloyd denied police that he harboured a sexual interest in minors.
The UK sentence rules call for one year for possession of pictures, with a range spanning 26 weeks to three years. He had never carried a conviction.
Martin Salloway, a Paedophile defensive lawyer, said: “He has substantial personal mitigating, having endured a very traumatic childhood that has lasted the rest of his life.” Lloyd understood he needed help, he said. “There was not a great volume of images.”
Judge David Evans remarked: “This case is past the custody barrier. Making obscene pictures entails downloading images that people have come across on the internet. Your devices turned up these downloaded photos. Between late 2016 and August 2022, the offences were carried out over a pretty protracted period.
“You came clean about what you had been doing in a police interview. You were less honest with the author of the pre-sentence probation report, which is somewhat demoralising. You must realise the terrible damage the activity photographs’ subject matter causes; demand for such images would be considerably less if they were not sought for and downloaded.
“In my view, it’s rather implausible, unbelievable, that you have no sexual interest in children given how long you were doing it and the deliberate searching online for this sort of material.”
Starting at 12 months, the judge raised the sentence to 18 months to consider aggravating circumstances, including the extreme images being filmed, the age of the children being extremely young, their suffering, and wilful internet searches.
“There needs to be some downward adjustment for mitigation,” he said. This covered complete police admissions, sincere regret, no past convictions, domestic background, and employment and relationships.
“With all that mitigating, I can cut the sentence from 18 months to 12 months, and I have to cut that by one-third to eight months to credit your guilty pleas.
“Following the guideline on the imposition of custodial sentences, it seems apparent that it is acceptable to postpone the custodial term so it will not come into action immediately, and if you keep out of trouble and meet all the criteria, it will never come into force. However, reoffending will violate the law, and the eight months could be triggered.
“Your danger can be sufficiently controlled in the community, and the pre-sentence report makes clear you are a credible rehabilitation prospect. The community can help you address your underlying problems and aid in lowering that danger even more.
Judge David Evans sentenced paedophile Michael Lloyd to eight months suspended for two years with two years of supervision. Lloyd must be legally required to keep in touch with the service and complete 45 rehabilitation days under probation. Michael Lloyd also received a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which stipulates he does not have any internet-capable device without police authorisation, does not delete its history, and makes it available to police on request.
Keith Foster 50, Barnstaple, was charged with attempted sexual communication with a child. He has previous convictions of indecent assault on a female under 14 in 1992 and 1995.
In February, I requested a friend from a 13-year-old profile. The profile was a deception designed to apprehend paedophiles using an adult. Foster mentioned he was forty and asked for “naughty pictures”. Using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, he expressed worries should anyone come across the “girl’s” communications and view the pictures and video he shared of his penis. He claimed the girl desired a relationship and was beautiful. March saw his arrest at his house address.
Stephen Nunn, a paedophile defence attorney, advised: “He should be a part of an accredited program. Should he be imprisoned, he won’t follow any direction. The training is essential.
“He has been on remand for four weeks.”
Judge Evans said: “You are 50 years old, and I have to sentence you for attempted sexual communication with someone you believed to be a 13-year-old girl. It was a profile developed by an adult seeking to expose others to your online attitude.
“You were messaging online under that profile between February and March. You commented on her appearance and physique and asked whether she had a partner. You requested her to email you images and whether she would be interested in a relationship. You pushed things ever more sexually and sent her pictures of your intimate areas.
“You knew how inappropriate your actions were. People peering at her phone worried you. Also included was traditional grooming advice on trust between her and you. Your phone is turned up under a bathroom cabinet.
“This is a concerning rebirth of your clear sexual interest in children.”
Assuming credit and considering, the judge decided on a two-year term. Given his early guilty plea, Foster was entitled to a one-third discount. This brought 14 months’ final sentence. The judge must also assess if jail is the only choice available.
“You pose a clear risk, but that risk, according to the pre-sentence report, is manageable within the community, and you are assessed as a rehabilitative prospect.”
Judge David Evans sentenced Paedophile Keith Foster to two years suspended term. The element of the offence that carried punishment was 240 hours. He has thirty days of probationary rehabilitation work and thirty-five sessions of a sex offender program. Along with registering with the police for ten years as part of the sex offender register, he also needs to. A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was placed on Foster for fifteen years.
Liam Jeffs, 22, Paignton, pleaded guilty to making three indecent images of children and one offence of distributing an indecent photo of a child.
Jeffs uploaded child abuse material on Snapchat. Police grabbed a phone and PC tower for investigation after a warrant was carried out at his house. In January 2022, they came upon three category A videos posted to Snapchat and messaged a paedophile on Telegram as well. Police discovered 735 obscene photographs overall in the three categories; 259 were in the most severe category and showed infants. Jeffs told cops: “I knew this was coming at some time. I should have helped but did not.” He had never carried a conviction.
According to a positive pre-sentence report, Jeff presented a reasonable chance for recovery. At the time, he was twenty, honest and forthright with law enforcement. Initially viewing adult pornography on the internet, he reportedly “fell down a rabbit hole” and then turned to illicit content. He desires better knowledge of his disease and suffers from learning challenges. He had few friends and was kept apart at school. Takes depression medicine.
“It is plain you have a sexual interest in indecent child abuse material,” Judge Evans remarked. You admitted you needed help and stated you knew today was approaching. Three years and nine months of custody before mitigating serve as the base. You have no past convictions; although time has passed since the offence, there is no indication you did not know what you were doing was very wrong.”
The punishment for full credit for guilty pleas dropped to three years, then two years. One falls inside the suspendable range here. According to the pre-sentence assessment, Jeff was a rehabilitative prospect seeking to address his problems and put them behind him.
Liam Jeffs was sentenced by Judge David Evans to two years and suspended for two years. He has to sign a SHPO for ten years to track his behaviour and complete forty sessions with the Horizon sex offender program.