In 2016, police discovered a child sex abuse network run from Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England. Eight of the men were convicted [1] [2] and some received significant prison sentences.
The discovery resulted in a police investigation in 2017 which helped to uncover many other child abusers worldwide. [1]
Operation Pendent was a child sex abuse investigation in 2017 into the Berkhamsted network; it was led by Hertfordshire Constabulary, and helped to uncover many other child abusers worldwide. [1] One suspect in the United States was arrested within 48 hours of information being passed to Homeland Security. [1]
For much of 2017, media reporting on the criminal proceedings members of the network was under reporting restrictions. Restrictions were lifted on 20 December 2017, when six offenders were sentenced. [1] [3] A seventh was jailed in February 2018. [4]
Perpetrator | Conviction(s) | Sentence |
---|---|---|
Michael Emerton (leader) [5] | Rape of a child (4 counts), inciting a child to partake in sexual activity (3 counts), conspiring with others to rape or commit sex acts with or in front of a child | Nine life sentences [1] |
Bruce Child | Rape of a child, indecently assaulting a child younger than 16, grooming a 12-year-old child, making indecent photographs of children taken from the internet. | 18 years, 6 years concurrently, 3 years [2] [6] |
Thomas Perry | Conspiring to rape a child younger than 13, planning sex acts with a child younger than 13, causing a child to witness sexual activity | 14 years [1] [3] [4] |
Paul Stevens | Conspiracy to rape a child younger than 13, planning sex acts with a child younger than 13 | 10 years [1] |
Matthew Webby | Sexual acts with a child (2 counts), conspiring to rape a child, planning sex acts with a child, possessing indecent images of children | 9 years [1] |
Robert Lindsay | Conspiring to rape a child, planning sex acts with a child, inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, making indecent photographs of a child | 7½ years [1] [7] |
Simon Wintle | Sexual activity in front of a child | 2½ years [1] |
David Overall | Accessing and distributing indecent photographs of children | 2 years [1] [8] |
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