DAVID JOHN CLARKSON SENTENCED IN NEWARK FOR PEDOPHILIC OFFENCES AND WASTING COURT TIME

A man caught with sexually explicit images of children after being reported by a paedophile hunter will serve an additional two weeks in prison for wasting court resources. David John Clarkson, of Yorke Drive, Newark, engaged in online chats with teenage girls and persuaded one to meet him before taking indecent photographs of her dressed in lingerie. The 49-year-old also exchanged explicit images with a second girl and shared pictures with a woman he met through a swingers website.

Clarkson was originally sentenced to four years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court in October last year after admitting multiple offences. He sought to appeal his sentence at the Court of Appeal in London, claiming it was too severe. However, the top judges dismissed his appeal and imposed an extra two weeks of imprisonment, citing his lack of insight and continued blame-shifting.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated that Clarkson's comments to a probation officer indicated he still fails to understand the harmful nature of his actions and continues to blame others. She said, "It cannot be arguable that the sentence was manifestly excessive." Sitting alongside Lady Justice Sharp and Mr Justice Warby, she ordered Clarkson to serve the additional two weeks as a penalty for wasting judicial time, explaining, "The court has but one means of discouraging unmeritorious applications, which waste precious time and resources, and that is by using the powers to make a loss of time order. We make a loss of time order in this case of 14 days."

During his sentencing hearing, prosecutor Mr Kevin Jones revealed Clarkson blamed the girls’ parents for their internet monitoring failures. Clarkson met his victims via Facebook or an adult introduction website, encouraging them to use an unregulated messaging service.

Mr Jones recounted that Clarkson’s first victim was a 15-year-old girl from Derby who used Facebook, where she was added by various people, including Clarkson. When they met, the reality differed from her expectations, and she felt the encounter was unsettling, describing Clarkson as "creepy and weird." Nonetheless, she traveled with him back to Newark. Clarkson produced clothing he claimed fit her, including a baby-doll outfit, which she dressed in before he took indecent photos.

The prosecutor explained that Clarkson exchanged sexually explicit messages and images with another underage girl and made reference to a third girl, who sent him explicit photos of herself and a sex act, telling him she was 14 and that he was going to jail. Clarkson also sent her a sexually explicit picture of his first victim.

He contacted a person he believed to be a 13-year-old named Jodie and sent her a near-naked picture of the third girl. However, Jodie was actually a male paedophile hunter who reported Clarkson to the police.

Clarkson admitted to 15 charges, including possession and distribution of indecent images, inciting sexual activity and exploitation of minors, and webcam exploits. A female co-accused, whom Clarkson met on a swingers website and with whom he formed a relationship, admitted possessing five indecent images of underage girls. Following Clarkson’s arrest, he instructed her to destroy computer equipment.

Clarkson is required to sign the sex offender register for life, while his co-accused must sign for five years and was sentenced to a three-year community order.