Sheffield man downloaded 'horrific' baby rape pictures and attempted to send sexual messages to 'boy'

Michael Stuart’s online communication with the officer purporting to be a boy took place in November 2020, lasted around three days, and was ‘sexual in nature,’ prosecuting barrister David Eager told Sheffield Crown Court.

During the April 20 hearing, Mr Eager described how Stuart, aged 38, asked the ‘boy’ to send him photographs for his sexual gratification.

“He asked if he had any sexual experience with a man,” said Mr Eager, adding that Stuart went on to offer to explain how to carry out a number of sex acts.

Just over two months later, police officers raided Stuart’s home and seized electronic devices, including a mobile telephone belonging to Stuart.

Mr Eager said indecent images of children were found on Stuart’s phone, with seven in Category A – which is the most serious category of photographs – and four in Category C.

He told the court that while a comparatively small number of indecent photographs were found on Stuart’s phone, the children shown being abused were ‘very vulnerable’.

The images showed the rape of one baby aged six months; the abuse of another aged between 12 and 15 months; the rape of a third baby aged 20 months, as well as the sexual abuse of a girl aged between five and six-years-old.

Despite initially making no comment in police interview, Stuart, of Mill Road, Ecclesfield went on to plead guilty to the charges he faced including attempted sexual communication with child under the age of 16 and making indecent images of children of Categories A and C at an earlier hearing.

In mitigation, Katy Rafter told the court that Stuart has already taken steps to address his offending by attending the Stop It Now programme, which seeks to prevent child abuse.

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She added that Stuart, who has no other criminal convictions, suffers from medical difficulties and is also a carer for his partner.

Recorder Andrew Smith MBE told Stuart: “These are real children being abused, somewhere, in the most horrific way.”

He said that while a prison sentence of eight months was necessary in Stuart’s case, he felt able to suspend it for two years.

Recorder Smith explained that he only has the power to pass a relatively short jail term, based on the sentencing guidelines judges are obliged to follow; and such a sentence would see Stuart released within months, after which time he would receive little or no support from the probation service.

"Members of the public do not understand why judges do not send people who commit these sort of offences to prison for a long time,” said Recorder Smith.

He added that in Stuart’s case he believed the most effective way to prevent him from re-offending was to pass a suspended sentence with a requirement to complete an accredited sex offenders’ programme, which will seek to rehabilitate Stuart.

Recorder Smith also ordered Stuart to complete a a 55-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He made Stuart the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders’ register for the same period of time.