David Eyre, 55, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court
David Eyre, 55, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court
"I know what this is about." These were the words of a 'monster' paedophile when police raided his house earlier this year.
David Eyre, 55, who claimed his offending was due to a pornography addiction, was targeted by Merseyside Police officers from the specialist Online Child Abuse Investigation Team on June 20 this year following a lengthy investigation into his online activity, the Liverpool ECHO reports. Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday (October 23) how Eyre told officers "I know what this is about" when they visited his Southport home and pointed at his computer, adding, "the devices are down there".
Prosecuting barrister Robert Dudley said police found "a computer tower" and three hard drives. The defendant added there was also another computer at his mum's address. An iPhone was also seized and examinations found its search history included "1970s school girl pornography" and "extreme beastiality".
During his first interview he answered no comment. However, after examining his electronic devices police officers found a disturbing haul of indecent images that included a number of photographs and videos of the same child. On August 16, Eyre's home was raided again and a second iPhone was found along with a suicide note.
Mr Dudley told the court how when questioned again the defendant admitted to having an addiction to pornography. He said he was "desensitised" to extreme pornography and added "when you're bored it pulls you back in". The court heard he had sought help for his addiction in the past but could not afford the sessions.
He said his addiction dated back 35 years but this was the first time he had acted on it and "was a threat". The court heard Eyre's devices contained hundreds of images and videos.
During the interview, Eyre, who had last wiped his computer three to four months before his arrest, said: "I'm glad of the intervention." The offending started when the victim was just 15 months old and continued until she was four.
Three moving victim impact statements were read to the court by Mr Dudley. The victim's dad said: "When I found out she had been sexually assaulted my heart sank." He said: "How can a monster hurt a beautiful, innocent girl". The court heard how the victim's family "don't know what damage this will cause in the future".
The victim's mum added she was "numb" when she was told what happened and "everything felt mumbled". She said she felt guilt because her daughter would have "wondered why we weren't there in her time of need".
She added her daughter's "innocence was taken away" and she would now have a "lifetime of picking up the pieces". Lastly, the victim's nan added the family is "going through a grieving process" and their "world crumbled" after Eyre's criminality was revealed.
Officers investigating Eyre not only charged him with assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration and touching, but also three counts of taking indecent images and three counts of possessing indecent images, among a number of other charges.
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He possessed hundreds of images, including nearly 650 category A - images of the most serious nature - that he had made himself. He also possessed images of prepubescent girls as young as seven.
Louise McCloskey, defending, said: "What can one say about these types of offences" and added it was all said in the victim impact statements heard in court. She said the offences would have been like a "hand grenade going off" for the victim's family.
In mitigation, she added that the defendant had written an extensive letter to the court which "showed proper acknowledgement of the harm he has caused". Ms McCloskey added the defendant had his own difficulties as a child and these issues had manifested into a porn addiction.
She said the defendant should be entitled to full credit - due to his earlier guilty plea to 16 different offences at magistrates' court - and asked that any sentence issued be "significant, but determinate".
His Honour Judge Robert Trevor-Jones told the defendant he was treating the two counts of penetration as the lead offences on the indictment. The judge acknowledged Eyre's letter had expressed remorse and referred to desensitisation surrounding the serious pornography.
Judge Trevor-Jones told Eyre his addiction was "entrenched behaviour" and saw him "completely preoccupied". But he also acknowledged how Eyre was a "psychological, physical and emotional risk to children" and only an immediate and lengthy custodial sentence would suffice.
The judge sentenced Eyre, who wore a short-sleeved flowery shirt during court, to 14 years with an extended licence period of five years. He will also have to sign the sex offenders' register for life. The judge also enforced a sexual harm prevention order, a deprivation order on his electronic devices and a restraining order to prevent him contacting the victim or her family.
Detective Inspector Victoria Tinsley, from Merseyside Police's Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: "Merseyside Police is completely committed to bringing child sex offenders before the courts, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. We have specialist officers within our Online Child Abuse Investigations team who are dedicated to investigating these crimes, bringing those responsible before the courts and ultimately protecting young people from unimaginable suffering.
"Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to stress that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police. We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you
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