Judge frees paedo who took selfies while abusing a toddler and a baby in a pram after deciding sentence was too harsh
Twisted John Long, 20, avoids custody as Judge Brian Cummings, QC, hands him a suspended detention order
A PAEDOPHILE who took selfies of himself abusing a toddler and a baby in a pram as they slept has been FREED after a judge decided his sentence was too harsh.
Sick John Long, 20, saved six pictures of him molesting the boys with thousands of downloaded images of children.
His seven computer hard drives contained 324 Category A pictures, the most serious.
He admitted looking at them for “sexual satisfaction” and told cops: “My head is messed up.”
Judge Brian Cummings, QC, originally handed him two years and eight months in a young offenders institution at Liverpool Crown Court.
But a day later he called the paedophile back to court and said he had reviewed his sentence and decided it should be reduced.
Judge Cummings used a law known as the fifty-six day “Slip Rule”, which gives courts the power to alter a sentence or order made within 56 days.
He handed Long, from Maghull, Merseyside, a two-year detention and training order, suspended for two years, with two years’ supervision.
The judge also ordered Long to attend a sex offenders programme designed to tackle his disturbing behaviour.
An indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and requirement to sign on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely remain in place.
Police raided Long’s home after being tipped off that he was downloading indecent images of children and extreme animal porn.
He admitted numerous sex offences and possession of cannabis at Liverpool Crown Court.
Prosecutor Sarah Holt said the hard drives contained 324 Category A pictures — the most serious category — plus 504 Category B and 4,234 Category C images.
She said there were a further 48 Category A, 35 Category B and seven Category C videos on the seven devices.
Long had 3,074 banned images of children including cartoons, plus 37 pictures and two videos depicting extreme porn and bestiality.
When first interviewed by police, Long accepted there were “thousands of images”, of babies and older children.
He admitted looking at them for “sexual satisfaction” but claimed he was only interested in girls.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service website, the usual reason for altering a sentence under the Slip Rule is that “further information relevant to the sentence has become available to the court; or the court has overlooked some statutory provisions limiting its powers; or the sentence is found to take effect in an unexpected manner”.
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