Shropshire border paedophile pair jailed after admitting list of child sex offences

Janos Barber, 28, from Church View, Chirk, was jailed for eight years and 10 month,s and Samuel Clarke, 30, of Chapel Lane, Chirk, for six years and eight months.

Recorder Duncan Bould said the pair, who lived together, been caught up in distorted thought processes and paedophilic tendencies which they acted out.

He said their victim had been caused untold damage and said he had the utmost sympathy for the boy’s mother whose “tortured” words, saying how her heart was broken, were read to the court in a victim impact statement.

The men were sentenced at Mold Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to magistrates at an earlier hearing.

Barber admitted two charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two of sexual assault against a child and two of committing a sexual act in the presence of a child.

He also admitted charges of the possession of indecent images and one case of voyeurism.

Clarke admitted three counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and the possession of indecent images.

Mr Simon Rogers, prosecuting, said police carried out a search of the defendants’ flat in Church View on June 1 after being informed by a social media platform that two videos involving children had been uploaded by a phone in the flat.

Hidden

A search was made of the premises and a USB stick found containing videos and photographs of a boy involved in sexual activity. The two defendants both featured in the videos.

In addition, equipment found in the flat contained no less than 120,000 still images and videos of child abuse. This included more than 1,000 of the highest category of seriousness including the rape of a baby, Mr Rogers said.

Barber also admitted recording video footage of boys dressing and undressing at a swimming pool. He had hidden a camera inside a rucksack, Mr Rogers said.

Both men, appearing on video link from HMP Berwyn Prison, broke down during the hearing.

The court was told that Barber had expressed remorse for the impact his offences had had on his victim and victim’s family. What he had done had destroyed his career prospects.

Mr Henry Hills for Clarke said had expressed revulsion at what he had done. He had also admitted being addicted to images of child abuse.

Mr Recorder Bould told the men that their depraved actions would be met with disgust and revulsion by right-minded members of the public.

He said: “We have heard the tortured words of the victim’s mother and I have every sympathy for her.”

As well as jailing both defendants Mr Recorder Bould placed them on the sex offenders register indefinitely and said they would never be able to work with children.