Man jailed for making, possessing, and distributing images of child sexual abuse

A man has been jailed for over three years after being found guilty of making, distributing, and possessing images of child sexual abuse. 

Paul Ricketts, 58, of Rue Du Capitaine Lahner, Oberhaslach, France was sentenced on 30 August at Chichester Crown Court to 42 months after he pleaded guilty to: Making indecent images of children (CAT A); Making indecent images of Children (CAT B); Making indecent images of Children (CAT C); Distributing indecent images of children (CAT C); and possession of extreme pornography.

He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a life-long signature on the Sex Offenders Register.

The court heard how, 21 July 2022, Ricketts was arrested following a report of him taking pictures of a 17-year-old girl on board a train. During investigation of this offence, Ricketts’ device was seized, and officers discovered images of girls saved to his camera. These images were reviewed, and 69 images were categorised as Category C Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). He was subsequently charged with this offence and pleaded not guilty.

This prompted further investigations into Ricketts’ devices and online activity, which held evidence of Ricketts using an international online cloud storage for images. The investigation was then adopted by British Transport Police’s Major Investigation Team with the support of Cyber Crime.

Ricketts’ devices and online storage account revealed thousands of CSAM, with over 20,000 images and videos identified, ranging between Category A, Category B, and Category C. There were also images of extreme pornography including animals.

Investigators also uncovered evidence that Ricketts had been distributing some of this illegal material. Ricketts was further charged with these offences as a result and on 23 May 2024 appeared at Guildford Crown Court to enter a plea. He pleded guilty to all charges and changed his plea to guilty from the original charge.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Saunders said: “This has been an extensive investigation including working with international agencies to determine the scale of Ricketts’ disgusting actions. The detectives in this case have worked tirelessly to investigate to ensure Ricketts was brought justice and to safeguard children from further harm at his hands.

“Ricketts is a disturbing predator who put his and other’s sexual gratification above the safety and wellbeing of innocent children. The true measure of the impact of his actions is hard to quantify, but I hope there is some reassurance in that he has already spent time in jail and will continue to do so as a result of his actions. We have also worked to ensure that upon release he has strict restrictions to ensure he cannot offend again. Any breach of these restrictions will see likely see him sent back to prison.”