Seven men face jail over child sex ring

A gang of paedophiles who raped and abused babies, toddlers, and children aged under five in attacks that were streamed over the internet are facing lengthy prison sentences.

The sex ring preyed on the families of the youngsters, in one case grooming a mother and father before their baby was born.

Members would often travel long distances to carry out the sickening attacks together or watch the abuse over the internet if only one had access to a victim.

Chilling online chats revealed that members of the gang, who live 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).

The shocking details can be reported in full for the first time after the trial of John Denham, aged 49, from Wiltshire, and Matthew Stansfield, aged 34, from Hampshire, ended at Bristol Crown Court with their convictions.

The others — Robin Hollyson, aged 30, from Bedfordshire; Christopher Knight, aged 35, from Manchester; Adam Toms, aged 33, from Somerset; David Harsley, aged 51, from Humberside and Matthew Lisk, aged 32, from East Sussex — had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges they faced.

They all face “significant” prison sentences and some could be jailed for life when they return to court on a date to be fixed.

Hollyson — 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 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 pre-school age child.

Investigators said before yesterday’s verdicts that they believe there are other victims.

The gang hid behind a veil of respectability with careers and families to habitually target under-5s in Yorkshire, the south-east, and south-west.

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 perverts met after discussing their sexual interests in 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.

Graham Gardner of the NCA, said the ring “has got tentacles that go round the world”.