Thatcham child sex offender Rex Fenemore is back in court again

A PAEDOPHILE pensioner whose behaviour shocked even a veteran judge is back before the courts.

Rex Fenemore avoided an immediate prison sentence despite getting caught with more than 1,000 indecent images of children, some of which included babies and toddlers being raped.

But the 73-year-old, who lives in a flat in The Court, Park Avenue, Thatcham, may yet be locked up after he breached the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) not once, but twice.

During his original sentencing at Reading Crown Court in 2022, prosecutor Richard Hutchings said Fenemore had also engaged in paedophile fantasies with another male online and had sent him photographs of a child.

He added: “This sexual interest [in children] has been going on for some time.”

Carl Wheeler, defending at that hearing, said his client had admitted his guilt at the earliest opportunity and had no previous convictions.

He added that Fenemore had begun by engaging with another male on a sadomasochistic fetish website, adding: “He was submissive to the other man... he would do as he was ordered.”

That progressed to the chats – the contents of which can not be divulged for legal reasons – said Mr Wheeler.

He acknowledged: “I know Your Honour will be deeply concerned by those chats.

“His behaviour was wholly inexcusable and abhorrent, if not worse.”

Nevertheless, he pleaded with the judge to impose a community sentence rather than immediate imprisonment, adding: “He won’t be able to access the [rehabilitation] Horizon programme in prison.”

He also asked the judge to take into account the fact that Fenemore had been the subject of media reports in relation to the case, which had led to him fleeing his home.

Referring to the images of babies and toddlers being raped Judge Amjad Nawaz told Fenemore: “What pleasure anyone can gain from looking at such images I simply cannot understand.”

He reminded him that he had used searched terms to find images of “extreme rape” and added: “You engaged in sexualised electronic conversation dealing with the abuse of children.”

Judge Nawaz said of Fenemore’s behaviour: “It beggars belief.”

The court had heard Fenemore had shown little insight into his offending and had tried to tell people he had no sexual interest in children.

That, said the judge, was “clearly not true”.

Nevertheless, he said, because of Fenemore’s “senior years” and previous good character he would not be going to prison that day.

Fenemore was sentenced instead to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete the Horizon programme, to pay £300 costs and to sign on the Sex Offenders Register.

Finally, Fenemore was made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order designed to protect children from him in future.

But on Tuesday, May 13, Fenemore was back in the dock at Reading Magistrates’ Court.

There, he admitted breaching the terms of the SHPO by accessing internet chat forums – something he was expressly forbidden from doing.

Fenemore, who was legally represented by Anne Phillips, also admitted breaching the SHPO terms by deleting his online browsing history.

Both offences were committed in Thatcham between July 12 and September 12, 2023.

Magistrates ordered pre-sentence reports.

They also declined further jurisdiction and sent the matter back to Reading Crown Court to be sentenced by a judge on a date to be fixed.

Fenemore was meanwhile released on unconditional bail.