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. 

Apri 2021

‘Sexual monster’ jailed for 25 years for rape and abuse of girl

A paedophile branded a “sexual monster” by a judge has been jailed for 25 years for raping and sexually abusing a young girl. 

Peter Rowland-Hinton, 37, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court for sentence via prison video link after previously pleading guilty to 34 offences, including 20 counts of rape of a child under 13. 

Judge Emma Peters told Rowland-Hinton, of Columbyne Close, Stowupland, near Stowmarket, he will serve at least 16 years of his sentence behind bars before he is considered for parole.

The offences, which spanned seven years, came to light when the victim made disclosures last year, Claire Matthews, prosecuting, told the court. 

Rowland-Hinton was arrested in October last year but offered no comment to officers in interview, the court heard. 

Following his arrest, a laptop was seized and was later found to contain indecent images of children, Ms Matthews told the court. 

In total, 66 images of the most serious kind – category A – were discovered as well as 50 category B images and 59 graded as category C. 

Rowland-Hinton was further interviewed in January 2021, and provided two prepared statements to police. 

The court heard that Rowland-Hinton admitted having a sexual attraction to young girls

Rowland-Hinton previously admitted 20 charges of rape of a child, 11 further sexual assault charges, and three counts of making indecent images in February this year. 

At his sentence on Wednesday, Judge Peters told Rowland-Hinton the scale of his sexual offending was “astonishing and terrifying in equal measure”.

The judge said his offending had had “a very significant impact” on the victim before telling him: “Peter Rowland-Hinton you, literally, are a sexual monster”. 

Judge Peters jailed Rowland-Hinton for 25 years, with an extended licence period of eight years after he was found to be dangerous and posed a “significant risk” to the public. 

Rowland-Hinton will serve two thirds of his custodial sentence behind bars, meaning he will spend at least 16 years and eight months in prison before he is considered for parole. 

Rachel Burrows, 30, and Kevin Prewitt, 37, were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court for their “inhuman and sadistic” acts over more than a year involving the two children, both under the age of 10.

Police were called to Prewitt’s Myrtle Road home in Lowestoft in April 2020 when a 10-second indecent film and messages on his phone were discovered.

Kevin Prewitt, 37, from Lowestoft, was jailed for 22 years for a series of offences including rape of children under the age of 10.

The pair were in a relationship and prosecutor Joanne Eley told the court police attended both homes and seized mobile phones and tablets and other items used in the images and videos.

Officers also found a Skype conversation between the pair from January 2020 until the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown discussing their plans, while examination of the videos found the victims “sobbing and whimpering.”

A psychological report found the victims were both likely to develop complex PTSD.

Rachel Burrows, 30, from Lowestoft, was jailed for 22 years for a series of offences including rape of children under the age of 10

The duo had previously admitted serious charges of sexual abuse of a child, including rape, while Prewitt also admitted three offences of making indecent images of children, and two offences of inciting or causing child exploitation.

Burrows, of Harris Avenue, Lowestoft, also admitted multiple serious sex abuse of a child charges, three offences of taking indecent images of children and an offence of inciting or causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sentencing the pair to 22 years in custody, judge Rupert Overbury said: “What the pair of you did was beyond depraved and despicable. It was inhuman and sadistic.

March 2021

Ipswich man thought paedophile hunter was 12-year-old girl

An Ipswich man was snared by paedophile hunters after requesting explicit photos from an online decoy he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.

Over a five-day period, Philip Todd repeatedly asked a chatroom user called Sophie to send photos of herself in her underwear.

After being confronted on his doorstep in Wherstead Road, Todd was also found to be in possession of indecent images of children.

The 50-year-old appeared for sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday after previously admitting attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and possession of eight category C indecent images.

Prosecutor Paul Fairley told the court how Todd unwittingly began communicating with a decoy from teh group group ‘Black Flag Hunters’ on Chatiw on July 20, 2019.

The court heard how Todd described himself as “a naughty old man who liked to look at girls in their underwear”.

Mr Fairley said the conversation continued on Kik Messenger and WhatsApp, with Todd sending the decoy a photo of himself from the chin down to the top of his genital area.

“When she said her dad was home, he suggested she went to the bathroom and took a photo in her underwear,” added Mr Fairley.

“When she said no boys had seen her in her underwear, he said he would be her first, and that he was special.”

Following a confrontation by another member of Black Flag Hunters on July 25, police searched Todd’s home and found devices containing eight indecent images, screen-grabbed from chat apps.

Judge Levett said his objective was also to deter Todd from reoffending by imposing a three-year community order, with 150 hours of unpaid work and 40 days’ rehabilitation activity requirement.  

He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.