Child sexual abuse gang had its

'tentacles round the world'

W E D N E S D AY 22 APRIL 2015

A gang of paedophiles who raped and abused babies, toddlers and

children under the age of five in attacks that were streamed over the
internet are facing lengthy prison sentences.

Clockwise from top left: Adam Toms; Matthew Lisk; Matt Stansfield; David
Harsley; Chris Knight; Ben Harrop (aka John Denham); and Robin Hollyson
(aka Robin Fallick)
The sexual abuse ring preyed on the families of the youngsters they
targeted, in one case grooming a mother and father before their baby was
born.
Members would often travel long distances to carry out the attacks together

or watch the abuse over the internet if only one had access to a victim.
Chilling online chatlogs revealed that members of the gang, who lived
across the UK, would offer advice and guidance to others on drugging their
young victims.
Seven men - aged between 30 and 51 and including three convicted sex
offenders - were brought to justice following an investigation led by the
National Crime Agency (NCA).
'Shocking details'
The gang members were:
Robin Hollyson, 30, from Bedfordshire
Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester
Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset
David Harsley, 51, from Humberside
Matthew Lisk, 32, from East Sussex
John Denham, 49, from Wiltshire
Matthew Stansfield, 34, from Hampshire
The shocking details of their crimes can be reported in full for the first time
after Denham and Stansfield were convicted on Wednesday at Bristol Crown
Court. The other five had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges they faced.
All seven face "significant" prison sentences and some could be jailed for
life when they return to court on a date to be fixed.
Hollyson, who was previously known as Robin Fallick, Stansfield and Harsley
are already convicted sex offenders while Denham, who changed his name
from Benjamin Harrop, was a respected youth football coach.
In total, they faced more than 30 charges; including the rape of a child,
conspiracy to rape a child, sexual activity with a child and administering a

substance with intent against three victims - a baby, a toddler and a preschool age child.
But investigators, speaking before today's verdicts, said they believed there
were yet more victims.
The depravity of these men appeared to know no bounds and is
without doubt as vile as we have seen Graham Gardner, NCA
deputy director of investigations
The gang hid behind a veil of respectability with careers and families to
habitually target children under the age of five in Yorkshire, as well as both
the south east and south west of England.
Police described the men as "monsters in disguise", working together to
commit some of the most "vile and depraved" child sex offences the
authorities have ever seen.
The NCA, which led the investigation, said the men met after discussing
their sexual interests in young children on legitimate social media and adult
sex sites.
The gang was described as "incredibly skilled" at grooming victims'
families, even striking up relationships with pregnant women to abuse their
babies.
'Tentacles around the world'
Graham Gardner, deputy director of investigations at the NCA, said the ring
"has got tentacles that go round the world".
The men, who did not know each other outside of their involvement in the
abuse, led respectable lives - including a married former actor and a
businessman - and concealed their activities from the outside world until

they were unmasked.

Gardner said: "They don't stand out as monsters, but they are monsters in
disguise. We rarely see criminal behaviour involving the sexual abuse of
children to this degree.
"The men involved in this group actively targeted families to facilitate the
sexual abuse of their children, toddlers and babies. The depravity of these
men appeared to know no bounds and is without doubt as vile as we have
seen."
Safeguarding measures
The NCA launched its investigation, codenamed Operation Voicer, last
September after one of those eventually convicted - Toms - contacted police
and admitted he had abused a child.
In the weeks that followed, the other six members were arrested and a
further two victims were identified. Another 21 children have been the
subject of "safeguarding" measures in relation to the investigation.
The NCA worked closely with the Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Greater
Manchester, Hampshire, Humberside, Wiltshire and Sussex forces, as well
as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and nine local authorities.
The gang had gone to significant lengths to hide their online activities.
There was no business element to them, with no evidence of any payment
being received.
Posted by Thavam