Thatcham paedophile Paul Ferguson avoids prison sentence for child rape images

A MAN who hoarded images of young children being raped has avoided prison and been given a community sentence instead.

Among the 1,000 photos and videos he downloaded were “grotesque” films of girls aged eight being forced to perform sex acts on adults and other graphic depictions of them involved in penetrative sex.

In February, Reading magistrates sent 64-year-old Paul Ferguson to be sentenced by a crown court judge, deeming their own powers of up to one year’s imprisonment could be insufficient.

At the consequent sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court on Thursday, May 8, prosecuting barrister Jack Preece said police had raided Ferguson’s home in Mallards Reach, Thatcham, in January last year.

Ferguson had tried to downplay his involvement, the court heard, telling officers he might have “accidentally” downloaded images of adult women dancing naked 25 years ago.

In fact, Mr Preece told the court, Ferguson had been deliberately hoarding extreme paedophilic material for around the past decade, almost up until his arrest.

He added: “The age range [of the victims] was six to 15 years.”

Mr Preece outlined some of the acts the children had been forced to perform upon themselves and upon adults – material the judge branded “grotesque”.

In interview, Ferguson had replied “no comment” to all relevant questions, the court heard.

Nevertheless, he admitted having around 1,000 illegal images, some of them in Category A depicting the most extreme form of child sexual abuse.

Januck Fielding, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and that his wife and adult son were standing by him.

At the earlier, magistrates’ court hearing, Ferguson’s solicitor said his client was “concerned” that his offending had been highlighted in Newbury Weekly News and Newburytoday court reports.

Mr Fielding, too, said his family had been affected by publicity surrounding Ferguson’s crimes and suggested: “Putting him in a box in a poorly maintained prison environment will only damage his mental health.”

He explained that his client, who had no previous convictions, now realised his actions had been wrong and had no desire to find himself in court ever again.

The judge, Recorder John Benson, told Ferguson: “It’s very sad to see a man of your age with no previous convictions facing charges of this nature.

“There was a very considerable amount of unlawful material – there were children between the ages of six and 15 years, having no ability or maturity to consent to what was happening to them, being subjected to grotesque sexual behaviour.”

Such abuse only proliferated because criminals profited from people such as Ferguson seeking it out online, he said.

Recorder Benson added: “The reputational damage is, in some ways, the harshest punishment for someone like you who finds themselves in this position.”

He said one report suggested Ferguson had sought to “deny and minimise” his offending.

However, Recorder Benson acknowledged that Ferguson had undergone psycho-sexual treatment on his own initiative and now acknowledged he had deliberately sought and downloaded child sexual abuse imagery.

He made Ferguson subject to an 18-month community order with a requirement that he complete 140 hours of unpaid community work.

Next, Ferguson was ordered to undertake up to 30 days of rehabilitation activity.

Furthermore, he was ordered to pay £150 costs plus a statutory victim services surcharge.

Finally, Ferguson was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).