April 2011

Church leader shot indecent film of girls at castle outing

A SCHOOL bus driver and ex-Church Brigade leader has admitted possessing hundreds of indecent pictures of young girls.

Frederick Hudson also had film footage, recorded during a visit to Elvaston Castle when he was with the Church Brigade in the late 1980s, which zoomed in on girls’ underwear.

This was kept in a secret room at his Alvaston home.

Derby Crown Court heard how the 70-year-old downloaded images from the internet of 10-to-14-year-old girls who were in “erotic poses”.

His “addiction” came to light after two teenage girls travelling on his bus became concerned about his behaviour towards them.

Hudson, of Penzance Road, was arrested and, when police said they were going to search his home, he told them about the pictures.

“It was a secret of his own – an unhealthy fascination that goes back some time,” said Julian Gill, for Hudson.

The court heard that Hudson had compiled footage from a Church Brigade outing that involved thecamera zooming in on the underwear of girls who were wearing skirts.

Sarah Allen, prosecuting, said: “He had magnified some of the shots by rerecording the original footage. He was a Church Brigade leader at the time.”

She said that when police showed him the material, he accepted that he had produced it and was aroused by it. He had a preference for 10-to-14-year-old girls.

Hudson told police that the parents of the girls had consented to him filming the children.

Hudson admitted six counts of making indecent photographs on dates between July 1986 and April 2010.

Mr Gill said the inappropriate video lasted just “seconds” and was “on a shelf in a secret room and he hadn’t looked at it for many years”.

He said: “As time went on he was attracted by the internet and was only looking for adult sites which led him on to child sites and, from that time on, the rot set in. He has told of his remorse and regret. He has had to come clean with his family.”

Mr Gill added: “He calls it an addiction – to look and search but to do no more. He says he feels disgusted by higher categories.”

The court heard that Hudson had worked at Rolls-Royce for 45 years but, in retirement, had got a part-time job driving for a minibus company. Mr Gill said his client generally did jobs for football supporters and stag and hen events but on occasions also did school trips.

Handing Hudson a three-year community order, Judge John Gosling said he was to be punished for the misery caused to those featured in the indecent pictures.

He said: “They grow up often suffering from guilt and shame when they come to learn that the images of them as children can never be removed from circulation – it causes misery for victims for life.”

The judge said that Hudson had not himself behaved inappropriately to any child.

Hudson must attend the NSPCC Dove Project, which works with child sex offenders.

He will also be subject to supervision by the probation service. He was ordered to obey a sexual offenders’ prevention order, which includes not taking pictures of girls under 18.

He must also sign the sex offenders’ register for five years and is banned from working with children.

The judge said: “This may affect your ability to drive buses with children aboard.”