Brit who raped eight year olds and ‘directed’ sex shows involving babies handed 28 year sentence
David Shepherd, 60, was found guilty of 22 child sex offences, including directing 'live sex shows' with children as young as 17 months
A prolific British paedophile who travelled abroad to sexually abuse children as young as eight has been jailed for life.
David Shepherd, 60, was found guilty of a string of 22 child sex offences, including raping children, paying for child sex, making indecent videos of children and holding 20,211 indecent films and images of children.
The former pub landlord, from Dorset, admitted a string of offences earlier this month, but denied raping four girls under 13 when he travelled to Thailand.
However, evidence including videos of him abusing children, travel tickets and financial records proved otherwise.
Extensive examination of his computers and digital storage devices uncovered thousands of indecent images and videos of children.
The search found that Shepherd had contacted paedophiles back in the Philippines and directed at least 76 live "sex shows", involving Filipino children as young as 17 months.
It also revealed that the full extent of his offending had been going on for over a decade.
Shepherd was jailed for 28 years at Dorchester Crown Court.
Judge Peter Johnson said: “You have no moral boundaries. You have shown no remorse. Your acts will haunt your victims for the rest of their days. Their innocence has been taken from them.
“You have a deeply engraved sexual interest in young children. You are unquestionably a danger. This life sentence reflects the public abhorrence for your shocking crimes.”
Shepherd was arrested last November at the Loders Arms pub near Bridport where he had been landlord for six months.
RELATED STORIES
Detective Constable David Baker, of Dorset police’s paedophile online investigation team described the case as "the most horrific case of child abuse" he had seen.
DC David Baker said: “Such was Shepherd’s arrogance of his offending, he pleaded not guilty despite the overwhelming visual evidence against him.
"This evidence showed harrowing images of very young children being abused and degraded in the most vile manner.”