A MAN has been jailed for 10 years after sexually abusing two children and possessing more than 2,000 indecent images of children.

William Smith, 69, formerly of Oak Close in Tidworth, but now in prison for previous offences, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on April 19. 

He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child under the age of 13, three counts of making indecent images of children (316 graded as Category A, 693 graded as Category B and 1,473 graded as Category C) and one count of being in possession of 79 prohibited images of children.

The 69-year-old was also given a sexual harm prevention order and will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Smith was initially investigated by another police force due after communications were found where Smith was openly discussing the sexual abuse of children.

He believed he was speaking to another sex offender, but it was actually an undercover police operative.

Smith was subsequently arrested when he travelled to meet this contact with the intention of committing further sexual offences. He was later jailed for those offences.

Following this arrest, Wiltshire Police were informed of potential offences committed in this county, including the fact that Smith had revealed details of children he had abused in Wiltshire.

Officers executed a warrant at his home address in Tidworth and seized devices for further evidence. They also made contact with the families of the children they believed he had abused.

Police say the found more than 2,000 indecent images of children that had been downloaded by Smith. 

Detective Constable Justine Parsons, from Wiltshire Police’s Child Internet Exploitation Team, said: “When Smith’s mobile phones were examined, we uncovered more than 2,000 indecent images of children which he had downloaded, including 316 which were categorised as depicting the most serious abuse of children.

“Our enquiries also led us to two people, one of whom is still a child, who were sexually abused by Smith and they very bravely told us what had happened to them, re-living some very traumatic and upsetting experiences they had been subjected to.

“I want to pay tribute to these two victims and their families. We know how incredibly hard it is for people to speak out about sexual abuse, particularly when this is something which has happened to them as young children, and I applaud their bravery and resilience during such a difficult time.”

• If you have been the victim of abuse, or if you have concerns about a child you know, please speak to someone about this. You can report it to the police, or speak to a charity or a specialist organisation, if you prefer. For more information about support available visit the Wiltshire Police website. 

 

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