Ten depraved offenders, including a police inspector and a former headteacher, have been brought to justice after police uncovered their sickening online activities across the North East. The cases, spanning from Newcastle to South Shields and Tynemouth to Bishop Auckland, involved criminals who trawled the internet to feed their sexual interest in children. All have now been dealt with in court, preventing further harm.
Dean Moore: Breached Court Order by Deleting 14,000 Searches
Dean Moore, 31, was jailed for 24 months after breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by deleting more than 14,000 internet search entries and downloading a sexual image of two boys. He had previously been jailed for three years in 2023 after a shop worker found child abuse material on his phone. Police seized two of his mobiles earlier this year, uncovering the deleted searches and a chat with a child on TikTok. He also admitted sending a picture of his genitals over Snapchat, though there was no evidence it was sent to a child. Moore pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a SHPO, intentionally sending a photo of his genitals, and making an indecent image of a child. He must sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.
Dean Juric: Former Headteacher Who Expressed Sexual Interest in Schoolgirls
Dean Juric, the disgraced former headteacher of St Robert of Newminster School in Washington, was caught after engaging in seedy exchanges with an undercover police officer online. He distributed an indecent image of a girl and expressed sexual interest in schoolgirls, writing: "Love young girls." When police raided his home, they found dozens of indecent images on his phone and disturbing chats on social media platform Kik. Juric, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images and one of distributing a total of seven indecent images. He was sentenced to eight months suspended for 18 months, with 150 hours unpaid work, and must sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.
Richard Wilson: Police Inspector Made Obscene Comments About Child's Underwear
Richard Wilson, a serving police inspector with Durham Constabulary, made obscene comments about a child's underwear and claimed to be looking at a friend's daughter on Instagram. He was caught in an online sting and sentenced to 22 months suspended for two years at Newcastle Crown Court after admitting publishing obscene messages. A police misconduct hearing found that Wilson "brought shame and disgrace on both himself and his force" and committed gross misconduct. He resigned from the force on June 16 and was placed on the police barring list. The offences were not committed while on duty, and he was immediately suspended.
Graham Spells: Isolated Paedophile with "Deviant" Interest Jailed
Graham Spells, 64, of Bishop Auckland, was jailed for 20 months after being found with category A, B, and C indecent images and videos on his mobile phone. The images involved children aged between five and 13. Spells, already on the sex offenders' register for life, had downloaded many images via the Telegram app. He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images. The court heard he had a "deviant and distorted sexual interest in children." He remains on the sex offenders' register.
Ashley Robinson: Caught with "Absolutely Horrendous" Child Abuse Material
Ashley Robinson, 36, of Darlington, was jailed for possession of indecent images and videos, described as "absolutely horrendous." Already on the sex offenders' register, he was found with category A, B, and C images and over half-an-hour of videos depicting child sexual abuse when police searched his phone in November 2024. In 2017, he received a suspended sentence for making and distributing indecent images, along with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He also breached a sexual risk order in 2022.
Jamie Gibson: Paid to View Sexual Videos of Children Overseas
Jamie Gibson, 28, was snared in a police sting after paying $5 and then $10 to view what he believed would be sickening "cam shows" of young girls on an encrypted messaging app. When police raided his house, they found he also possessed indecent images of children aged between 5 and 15. Gibson, with no previous convictions, admitted arranging or facilitating an act intending sexual assault of a child under 13 and three offences of possessing indecent images. He was sentenced to two years suspended for two years, with 150 hours unpaid work and programme requirements, and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Anthony Bonner: Retired Seaman Wanted to Watch Live Abuse of 12-Year-Old
Anthony Bonner, 62, of South Shields, was jailed for four years after agreeing to pay to watch a live stream of a 12-year-old girl being sexually abused. The person he communicated with was an undercover police officer. When arrested, police found 141 indecent images of children aged between eight and 16 on his devices. Bonner pleaded guilty to arranging the commission of a child sex offence and three counts of making indecent images. He must sign the sex offenders register for life and received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order with a five-year travel restriction to certain countries.
Stanley Burnett: Pensioner with 985 Category A Images Jailed for Five Years
Stanley Burnett, 76, of Gateshead, was jailed for five years after downloading sickening child abuse images and encouraging other adults to abuse their children in twisted online chats. Police found 985 category A images, 373 category B, and 192 category C on his devices. He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, two of distributing, three of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, advertising indecent images, and breaching a sexual risk order. Recorder Tony Hawks said: "All these offences arise out of your perverted interest in looking at and talking about the abuse of young children."
Mark Givens: Amassed Over a Million Sick Images and a Paedophile Manual
Mark Givens, 41, of Sunderland, stockpiled a "horrendous" collection of more than a million sick images and downloaded a "paedophile manual." Police went to his home in March 2023 after receiving information about his IP address. He confessed there would be illegal material on his devices. Givens pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, possessing a paedophile manual, possessing prohibited images, and possessing extreme pornography, spanning a ten-year period. He was sentenced to 18 months suspended for two years, with 120 hours unpaid work, and must comply with a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration for ten years.
John Office: Searched for and Downloaded Vile Images of Children as Young as Four
John Office, 45, of North Shields, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years after amassing a collection of more than 80 pictures and films, including category A images involving penetrative sexual activity. The court heard he actively searched for the material and "appeared to be involved in a sharing network." He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, with 41 videos and 48 photos discovered on his devices, downloaded between July 29 and December 1, 2024. He must pay £85 costs and a £187 victim surcharge.
