A gang of seven men who committed the most heinous sexual crimes against children, some who were just babies at the time, have been jailed for a total of 107 years - with a minimum of 78 years to be served behind bars.
The seven men gang, aged between 31 and 51, groomed families to gain access to their young children. In one sickening case, they even befriended one couple before their baby was even born. Other known victims in the case include a baby, aged between three and seven months at the time of the abuse, a four year old boy and another boy aged between four and five.
To commit their depraved crimes, they travelled over the UK and streamed the distressing footage to other paedophiles on the internet. They would buy over the counter drugs to sedate the children and babies.
Altogether the men were convicted of 29 child sex abuse offenses, including conspiracy to rape and the multiple rape of a child aged under 13.
Today in court John Denham, 50, from Wiltshire, Matthew Stansfield, 35, from Hampshire, Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset, Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester, Robin Hollyson, 31, from Bedfordshire, David Harsley, 51, from Yorkshire, and Matthew Lisk, 33, from Sussex were sentenced.
Speaking at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Julian Lambert said:
“In the worst nightmare, from the very deepest recesses of the mind, at the darkest hour of the night, few can have imagined the terrifying depravity which you men admit.
“What you contemplated and what you did involved the most horrific abuse of a baby and very young children. Your thoughts and deeds are beyond human instinct and reason, and are evil beyond rational understanding.”
Speaking of their disgraceful crimes, he continued: “You men indulged yourselves in some of the most depraved and grossly deviant behaviour imaginable. The depth to which you sank is astounding and highly shocking to all decent people.
“What you did is contrary to all nature and humanity and you each appear to have a chilling tendency to centre the world on yourselves and your depraved desires without regard for the innocent and vulnerable.”
Six of the men were placed on the sex offenders’ register for life while the length of time Harsley will spend on the list is still to be determined.
Their abuse was discovered by the National Crime Agency last September after Toms contacted the police and admitted he had abused a child.
One of the victim’s families released a statement which read: “No family ever wants to find that their child has been the victim of abuse, nor would they ever knowingly put their child at risk.
“As a family we now need to mend - seeing the perpetrators being brought to justice is the first step.”