Northampton paedophile jailed for seven years after paying young girls to perform sex acts over internet

A paedophile who paid young girls to perform sexual acts over the internet was jailed for seven years at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday, June 29).

Simon Peach also had more than 1,000 of indecent images of children on his mobile phone and laptop, breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) from 2015.

The 36-year-old, of Clarke Road, Northampton, also recorded another person for the purpose of sexual gratification.

His Honour Judge David Herbert extended his period on licence by three years 'to protect the public' as he poses 'a significant risk of serious harm to young girls'.

"You were given a chance in 2015 to address your interest in young girls and you have not taken it," the judge told Peach.

"You have continued to offend and have an entrenched sexual interest in very young girls.

"Your conduct has escalated over the years from simply viewing young girls to contacting and encouraging them to perform intimate sexual activity."

Police found 128 recordings of live-streams of the girls under the age of 16 performing sexual acts for payment on Peach's laptop after it was seized in February 2020, dating from August 2019 to just three days prior.

Chris Jeyes, prosecuting, said the defendant and the other viewers who watched as a group clearly knew the girls were underage, even making disgusting comments about how young they were.

They could give in-software gifts to encourage the children to do more and more serious sexual acts, which could be exchanged for real money, the court heard.

Liam Muir, defending, insisted Peach was not a leading figure in the group, which he got involved in as he withdrew from society as he had no friends because he is a sex offender.

But Judge Herbert did not accept the lawyer's suggestion that his client 'got caught up with it' as he actively found it and persisted over time.

Mr Muir said: "He is someone who, when they look back, realises the gravity and awful nature of his actions.

"He is grappling with his demons, he is dealing with his actions and trying to engage. He's someone who can't work out why they are doing what they are doing.

"He knows it's wrong and wants to engage and there's a real intent to deal with his problems."

Peach's laptop and phone were taken by police after a monitoring visit as part of his SHPO found sexual content on his internet search history and an application to browse anonymously and access the dark web.

On the mobile were 1,157 indecent pictures and videos of children ranging from category A, the most serious type, to category C, the least serious.

There were 49 category A pictures and 160 videos, 40 category B pictures and 42 videos and 648 category C pictures and 218 videos overall - all featuring girls aged under 16.

Judge Herbert told him: "There are children out there who suffer harm so people like you can satisfy yourself by watching these images."

The voyeurism victim was 'shocked and mortified' when they found out, Mr Jeyes told the court.

Reading out their statement, he said: "I don't want to imagine what was going on in his mind. It sickens me, I feel quite angry and I have mixed emotions of insecurity.

"It makes you rethink aspects of life - I need time to come to terms with it."