Quantcast
Channel: Leicester Mercury Latest Stories Feed
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 9894

Paedophile fails in attempt to have sentence reduced

0
0

A paedophile who was jailed for grooming teenage girls online and sending them indecent images has been told by top judges he cannot complain about his sentence.

Craig McGuire (38) showered the girls with compliments and gifts after posing as a teenage boy on a website, and even climbed up a drainpipe to spy on one youngster.

McGuire, of The Coppice, Narborough, was given a six-year jail sentence at Birmingham Crown Court in September after admitting a string of charges.

He was also given an extra four years on his licence period, and was handed an indefinite sexual offences prevention order and ordered to keep the authorities informed of his whereabouts.

McGuire challenged his sentence at London's Criminal Appeal Court, arguing it was "over the top" for his crimes.

But his appeal was dismissed by three of the country's most senior judges, who said his continued attempts to minimise his offending showed just what a danger he posed and meant the sentence was "justified".

The court heard McGuire was first arrested in 2009 after his fingerprints were found on a drainpipe he had used to help him spy on a teenage girl as she undressed in her bedroom.

Despite being on bail for that, he continued to offend – forming online "relationships'' with girls aged 14 and 15 after posing as a teenage boy.

He showered them with gifts and compliments and sent them indecent images he had downloaded from the internet.

McGuire also sent graphic and lewd suggestions about sexual activity in messages. In one case, about 4,000 messages had been exchanged between him and one of his victims.

A search of his computer equipment and mobile phone revealed he had stored images of girls aged 10 to 16 and had also saved the details of nearly 200 teenagers. He admitted charges of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, voyeurism and making and possessing indecent images of children.

Challenging his sentence, McGuire said he was aggrieved at the lack of intervention by his lawyers when prosecuting lawyers read out the facts of the case to the crown court. He also insisted he had been on a website for over-18s, did not have a predilection for under-age girls and said there had been no physical contact between him and his victims.

Dismissing his appeal, Judge Clement Goldstone QC said there was nothing in his complaint about his lawyers and no arguable appeal against the level of his sentence.

Sitting with Lord Justice Elias and Mr Justice Openshaw, he said: "The evidence of his interest in under-age girls is overwhelming, and his denial of its existence indicates the danger that he poses."

Paedophile fails in attempt to have sentence reduced


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 9894

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images