CHRISTOPHER ENGLISH FROM RUSHDEN SENTENCED FOR REPEATED OFFENCES INVOLVING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL OFFENCES

In June 2015, a disturbing case involving Christopher English, a 25-year-old resident of Church Hall Road in Rushden, came to light at Northampton Crown Court. English was brought before the court on serious charges related to the possession of a significant number of indecent images of young girls, some as young as 13 years old. The case highlighted a troubling pattern of behaviour that persisted despite previous legal interventions and court orders.

English’s criminal history included a prior conviction from October 2013, when he was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. This sentence followed his admission to blackmailing a young girl he had met on Facebook, coercing her into sending a photograph of herself in her underwear. Alongside this, he was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which explicitly prohibited him from using the internet to contact anyone under the age of 16 or from taking photographs of children. These measures were intended to curb his access to and exploitation of minors.

However, less than a year after the court’s intervention, authorities uncovered further troubling conduct. In the early hours of an unspecified morning, English was stopped by police while driving a vehicle. During the stop, a teenage girl was found as a passenger. Despite knowing that the SOPO forbade him from being alone with minors under 16, English claimed that the girl had told him she was 17. The police seized a laptop from the vehicle for analysis, which later revealed a disturbing collection of indecent images.

In February of the following year, English faced additional charges after investigators discovered 76 indecent photographs and videos of children stored on his devices. The evidence included 59 folders labeled with different girls’ names, all saved from Snapchat, a popular photo-sharing platform. The prosecution argued that these images demonstrated a clear pattern of predatory behaviour.

English ultimately pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and breaching the terms of his SOPO. During the court proceedings, his legal representative, Maxine Krone, acknowledged that English had been candid about his previous sentence. She explained that he viewed his earlier suspended sentence as a “get out of jail free card,” which failed to deter him from reoffending. Krone emphasized that English had now served time in custody, which she believed would serve as a deterrent, although she admitted he did not like being imprisoned.

Judge Adrienne Lucking QC did not hold back in her assessment of English’s character and actions. She described him as a “predatory paedophile,” emphasizing that the purpose of the original suspended sentence was to prevent further offences. The judge pointed out that English had been explicitly warned that breaching the order would result in imprisonment, yet within less than a year, he had committed exactly the offences the order aimed to prevent. The judge made it clear that English’s attitude and actions had transformed him into a dangerous individual with a predatory nature.

As a result, English was sentenced to a total of three years and four months in prison. This included 12 months for possession of indecent images and a further 20 months for breaching the SOPO. Additionally, he was ordered to serve the remaining eight months of his suspended sentence. The court also imposed a victim surcharge of £120, underscoring the seriousness of his crimes and the impact on the victims involved.