October 2020 Jail for ‘predatory’ paedophile who was chatting to 14-year-old girl online A three time convicted paedophile who exchanged vile video calls with a 14-year-old girl he met online has been jailed for almost four-and-a-half years. Darren Brazier was subject to a suspended prison sentence and a court order designed to limit his access to children and the internet when he struck up a friendship with the teen last December on a sex fetish website. Jailing the 37-year-old for four years and five months at Swindon Crown Court on Monday afternoon, Judge Jason Taylor QC said he had behaved in a predatory manner while putting on a façade for the authorities. He told Brazier his victim, who he had also “screenshotted” in the shower while she was on a video call with him, had been vulnerable. “She needed reassurance and protection not manipulation and abuse to gratify your own sexual desires,” Judge Taylor said. “It is the experience of these courts that there is a high likelihood that in later years it will prove to be the case your actions in her formative years will have caused very serious harm, which will have long-lasting, if not life-long, consequences.” He said Brazier had an ability to “groom professionals”. Prosecutor Jacinta Stringer earlier told the court Brazier had been convicted in 2010 and 2019 of indecent image charges. On the second occasion, he had been caught with a million child sex abuse images, having trawled the web obsessively to build up his vile collection. In 2019, he was given a chance by Judge Taylor, who imposed a 22 month prison sentence suspended for two years and made a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. A year later, on May 26, a police officer made an unannounced visit to the north Swindon home Brazier shared with his parents. When they looked through his phone it became clear he had deleted the Kik messenger app in breach of his sexual harm prevention order.   He was arrested two days later, when the police officers also discovered an iPad hidden under Brazier’s duvet that had been connected to the family’s WiFi router. The police had not been told about the device, again in breach of his order. Brazier’s Google Pixel mobile phone was analysed by digital forensics experts. Their efforts revealed Brazier had a small number of category C images of a teenage girl. The images included screenshots Brazier had taken of a video call with the girl, who had been in the shower while the older man watched. The girl, who was from Scotland and 14-years-old at the time, was tracked down by detectives. She told police she had been chatting online with a man from England who she knew by his internet username “Woolfwood”. Interviewed by police in August, Brazier claimed he had met the girl on sex fetish website Daddy Dom and Little Girl. In December 2019 and January 2020 they had exchanged explicit messages and nude images of each other. They had also video called each other. Brazier, formerly of Thresher Drive but appearing in court via video link from Winchester prison, had earlier pleaded guilty to making indecent images of a child in category C and three breaches of his sexual harm prevention order. While on remand at Winchester prison he was helping other inmates with their reading and writing and had obtained a cleaning job. He was supported by his family. June 2020 Three time convicted paedophile faces prison A now three time convicted paedophile who breached another court order by logging onto the Kik messenger app has been warned to expect prison. Darren Brazier, 37, was spared a jail sentence last year after he admitted owning an obscene stash of a million indecent images and videos of children. He began building the collection within five months of being dealt with by the courts in 2010 for having 100,000 indecent images on his computer. Brazier, of Thresher Drive, pleaded guilty last month to two breaches of his sexual harm prevention order. He had used an iPad – prohibited under the terms of his order – and was also found to have deleted the Kik messenger app from another device, meaning police were unable to see messages sent using the application. Breaching a sexual harm prevention order is an offence punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. Judge Jason Taylor QC, who sentenced Brazier last year, told Swindon Crown Court on Friday that he was considering sending him to prison. “I found that a difficult case and I gave him a chance and I said the ball was in his court. As things stand I am contemplating immediate custody because he has been given a chance and what is troubling in this case the previous case started within five months of the suspended sentence order in 2010 being imposed,” he said. “And here we once again have someone effectively living a double life, paying lip service to the suspended sentence but doing something completely different behind closed doors.” The case was adjourned to August 21 as the police are yet to analyse the devices seized from him. The judge told Brazier’s barrister, Clare Evans: “I’m going to adjourn it but even as things stand you will face an uphill struggling trying to persuade me not to activate the suspended sentence.” Brazier was first given a chance by a Swindon judge in 2010 when he was caught with more than 100,000 vile pictures and movies. But within five months the 36-year-old was back downloading vast quantities of images of child rape. And when police caught up with him almost seven years later they found more than a million illicit files on his collection of devices. The search terms he had used to source the collection included “daddy daughter” and “pre-teen”. April 2019 Paedophile ‘addicted’ to child abuse images is spared jail for a second time A paedophile ‘addicted’ to child abuse images has been spared jail for a second time despite downloading more than a million sick pictures. Darren Brazier, 36, from Swindon, was given a second chance by a judge in 2010 after he was found with upwards of 100,000 vile pictures and movies. But within just five months he was back online downloading vast quantities of images of child rape on to his computers, tablets and phone. And when police finally caught up to him almost seven years later, they found Brazier had racked up a huge new collection. But a judge at Swindon Crown Court has now given Brazier a third and final chance to avoid jail – after hearing he has been seeing a counsellor in the 17 months since his latest arrest. Brazier has been handed another suspended jail term after pleading guilty to making indecent images of children and having prohibited images. Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, said in November 2017 police made an unannounced visit to his home and asked to see his computer. They immediately saw he had been looking for the depraved material from the search terms he had used, and seized his devices. They took two laptops, two tablets a mobile and a computer tower which when searched were found to contain more than a million pictures and movies. She said the search terms had included looking for ‘preteen’ material as well as ‘daddy daughter’ images. When he was questioned he said that he had slipped back into his old habits despite having strong support in place from his family. Judge Jason Taylor QC said: ‘These offences began just five months after that sentence was imposed and despite the specialist help you were getting for that order. The judge imposed a 22-month jail term suspended for two years and told him to complete the Horizon sexual offenders’ programme. He must also abide by a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and register as a sex offender. March 2019 Convicted paedophile caught with images again A convicted paedophile has again been caught with indecent images on his computer of girls as young as two years old. Among the vile sexual abuse images found on Darren Brazier’s laptop were pictures of a child being raped. And magistrates heard the 36-year-old, of Thresher Drive, north Swindon, had also made contact with a child online. Brazier, who received a suspended nine-month jail sentence in 2010 for similar offences, could now face a lengthy prison spell. Magistrates told the man his crimes were so serious they were unable to sentence him. In 2010 he admitted downloading 107,066 indecent images and movies involving child sexual abuse. He was handed a suspended sentence on that occasion Chairman of the bench Paul Sample said: “It’s clear that in terms of the seriousness and the fact you face the possibility of a significant period in prison. For that reason it is outside our ability to sentence you. That will be for another court on another day.” Appearing in the dock dressed in jeans and a dark-coloured hooded top, Brazier pleaded guilty to three charges of making an indecent image of a child and being in possession of a further 355 prohibited child images. Prosecuting, Anna Humphreys said a police officer had visited Brazier’s home unannounced and asked to see his computer. When she looked at his web browser, the officer found online search terms consistent with his having tried to access indecent images of children. “The computer was seized and an examination indicated there was a significant number of indecent images,” Ms Humphreys said. “He had been viewing them since 2011, shortly after his last conviction. “Some of the images are of the rape of children.” The paedophile was also in contact online with a child, however none of the messages were sexual in content. In total, Brazier was found with almost 1,300 indecent images of children, including 46 in the most serious category. Magistrates adjourned the case to March 27 at Swindon Crown Court for sentence. Brazier was awarded unconditional bail and ordered to sign on to the Sex Offenders’ Register. July 2010 Man had 100,000 child sexual abuse images A 28-year-old man, who downloaded more than 100,000 indecent images of children from the internet, has walked free from court. Darren Brazier, of Brunel Crescent in Ferndale, admitted downloading 107,066 images and movies, which he had amassed over a period of about six years. But after hearing that if he was sent to prison he would not be able to take part in a sex offenders’ rehabilitation programme, Judge Douglas Field gave him a suspended prison sentence. Prosecuting, Robin Shellard said Brazier was arrested after police investigating another man for similar offences in Leeds found his name on a list of contacts that he had shared files with on peer-to-peer software. He said: “It was clear that the man in Leeds had sent child pornography to Mr Brazier for his use.” Brazier’s house was raided by police in February this year and his computer was seized but before it was analysed he admitted to police that child porn would be found on it. When the computer was analysed they found the images. The majority of them were at the lower end of the scale but 34 of them were the most serious kind. Mr Shellard added: “They also found that the images had been carefully stored within Mr Brazier’s computer under particular files so they could be accessed when required.” He said although the images were stored on file-sharing software there was no evidence that anyone else had accessed them so he was not being charged with distributing the images. Judge Field said: “If I were to send you to prison today it would be for nine months. You would receive ineffective treatment during that very short period and in my judgement the public interest is best served if make a sentence which will allow you to undertake this vigorous sex offenders programme.” He sentenced him to nine months in prison, suspended for two years during which he will be under supervision. He banned him from working with children and ordered him to be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.