gary/heather talbot Rapist

January 2020 Paedophile couple told to expect significant sentences A married Co Down couple who photographed themselves naked abusing a toddler they’d raped have been told they face “significant sentences”.

Gary and Heather Talbot were told by Judge Peirs Grant that their case involved very serious offences in which they had betrayed the trust of a very young child and that it was only realistic for them to expect to be given significant jail terms when sentenced next month.

In May last year, the paedophiles from Kinghill Avenue in the seaside town of Newcastle, pleaded guilty to a series of sex offences, committed between 2001 and 2003 against the child then aged, 18 months to when she was three years and three months.

The 60-year-old postman and bus driver, admitted a total of 16 charges including two rapes, gross indecency, indecent assault, and taking and distributing indecent images of the child, and a separate charge of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old teen sometime between July 2012 and July 2014.

His 59-year-old wife Heather admitted ten charges, including aiding and abetting her husband to rape the little girl, indecently assaulting her, committing acts of gross indecency, in addition to three charges of taking indecent images of the youngster.

Both sat in the dock just yards from their now grown-up victim, sitting in the public gallery supported by family and friends.

At one stage Gary Talbot, who listened to the details of his crimes with eyes closed shut, appeared to shake his head from side to side in apparent denial, while his wife kept looking to the side, her eyes cast down.

Lawyers for the pair told Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, that little could be said in their mitigation, save their guilty pleas.

Lawyers also revealed that while Gary Talbot had an enhanced status in prison where he was leading a model existence as a prisoner, his wife in contrast was finding custody hard, self-isolating and living under threat and constant fear.

Earlier, prosecution QC David McDowell outlined in graphic detail the couples’ perverted abuse of the child and of internet chats and boasts to other paedophiles, recovered on a variety of computer equipment seized from their home in October 2017.

He also revealed an external hard-drive was recovered from a locked bedroom cupboard, the key of which was secreted within the pages of the novel ‘Lolita’, on a bedside table.

Counsel explained a total of 47 indecent images, apparently recording three separate occasions of abuse, including rape, were taken of the toddler, which also showed the couple naked on some.

The court also heard the couple bought clothes for the child to be photographed in a sexually suggestive manner.

Defence QC Greg Berry for Gary Talbot said given the seriousness of the matters detailed to the court there was little that can be said in mitigation, save for the guilty pleas, for which he was entitled to credit.

His admissions, he said allowed for the identification of his victim.

This he did, said Mr Berry out of a sense of shame and remorse, and to spur their victim having to give evidence.

Eugene Grant QC, when questioned if Mrs Talbot was contesting her guilty pleas, said she accepted he role, but as a “reluctant participant” in what had happened.

She met her husband, he added, when aged 16, marrying him at 19 and that it had been a happy marriage.

However, it should be emphasised that what had occurred had been the fantasy of her husband, not her’s and that she was involved in just three of the incidents.

Mr Grant said Heather Talbot had expressed her remorse for what happened, and was “disgusted” with herself that it ever happened, and had “blotted it out” by placing it at the “back of her brain.” She too, he added, should be given credit for her early pleas of guilt, which had spared the victim the trauma of giving evidence, and had saved the courts the expense in what was a “very upsetting case”.

May 2019 Perverted married couple to be sentenced after confessing to horrific abuse of child under age of five The case against a perverted married couple came to a conclusion after the husband confessed to the last remaining count against them.

Standing handcuffed in the dock of Downpatrick Crown Court, 59-year-old Gary Talbot entered a guilty plea to sexually assaulting his victim on some time between July 21, 2012 and July 22, 2014, when she would have been a teenager.

At an earlier hearing Newcastle man Talbot confessed to 15 other offences including two counts each of rape, gross indecency with a child and indecent assault along with six offences of “taking or permitting to be taken” indecent photos of a child, all committed on dates unknown between January 1, 2001 and October 6, 2003 when the victim was aged between three and five-years-old.

He also confessed to three counts of distributing indecent images of a child in May 2011.

Appearing in the same dock last Wednesday, his 58-year-old wife Heather Talbot confessed to a number of the sex offences against her but due to legal reasons, her pleas could not be reported until now.

Mrs Talbot, also from Newcastle, was ordered to sign the sex offenders register after she admitted two counts each of aiding and abetting her husband in the rape of the little girl, indecently assaulting her and committing acts of gross indecency with or towards the child.

She also admitted three charges relating to indecent images of children.

Following Mr Talbot’s confession Judge Piers Grant vacated the trial date and remanding the pervert back into custody, ordering a pre-sentence probation report to be completed ahead of sentencing on June 4.

Nothing of the facts were heard in court but during a failed bail application last year, the court heard how Mrs Talbot took the child shopping to buy her stockings and lingerie with a view to her husband raping the little girl.

Giving evidence to the court a detective outlined how the police uncovered photographic evidence in their former home that showed Gary Talbot and his wife engaging in sexual acts, including rape, with the little girl, who would have been aged between two and five at the time of the offences.

When the married couple first appeared in court in February last year, she told the court the couples’ home was initially searched in October 2017 when a number of devices, computers and a laptop were seized.

When the devices were examined, “a number of digital images were found which clearly show Gary and Heather Talbot engaging in sexual activity with a child 2-4 years old at their home address.” Previous courts heard that Heather Talbot bought stockings and underwear for the infant female before her husband raped her.

Police uncovered photographic evidence in their former home at Kinghill Avenue in Newcastle, Co Down, that showed Gary Talbot and his wife engaging in sexual acts, including rape, with the little girl She described how there were images which showed the little girl touching Gary Talbot’s private parts, sitting naked on the knees of both defendants while others were “of the same child wearing stockings and underwear, exposing her genitals.” In his interviews, Gary Talbot admitted making a collection of videos, admitted rape, sexually assaulting and gross indecency with the child.

He further confessed that his wife was present during some incidents and could’ve taken some of the photos, some of which he distributed to “like minded individuals in chat rooms.” When Heather Talbot was questioned by cops she stated that she had gone with her husband to purchase the dressing up outfits for the victim and that he had discussed with her prior to that that he had fantasised about children.

Heather Talbot also admitted to “dressing the victim for her husband” but claimed she left the room so “did not know what happened after that between her husband and the victim.” In relation to chat logs found on the couples’ computer, the detective said Mrs Talbot admitted she had accessed “adult swinging websites with her husband and would use fake names on the sites”, but claimed the logs about the sexual abuse of children “were all written by her husband or that he had distributed the images, not her.” Prosecuting counsel Laura Ievers confirmed that both Mr and Mrs Talbot are already on the sex offenders register.

Remanding Mr Talbot back into custody, Judge Grant ordered the couple to appear before him to be sentenced on 4 June.

February 2019 Sex predator pleads guilty to child rape and other serious offences A man from Northern Ireland has pleaded guilty to the rape and sexual abuse of a young girl.

Standing handcuffed in the dock of Downpatrick Crown Court, 59-year-old Gary Talbot entered guilty pleas to all but one of the sex offences against him.

Talbot confessed to 15 offences including two counts each of rape, gross indecency with a child and indecent assault along with six offences of “taking or permitting to be taken” indecent photos of a child.

All the offences were committed on dates unknown between January 1 2001 and October 6 2003 when the victim was aged between two and five-years-old.

He also confessed to three counts of distributing indecent images of a child in May 2011 but denied one count of sexually assaulting the same victim on a date unknown between July 21 2012 and July 21 2014.

His wife, 58-year-old Heather Talbot, standing alongside him in the dock with a prison officer separating them, denied all of the 12 offences she faced.

She denied aiding and abetting, counselling and procuring her husband in the rapes and further offences of indecent assault, gross indecency and six offences relating to “taking or permitting to be taken” indecent photos of a child.

As their respective pleas were announced, Gary Talbot looked to his solicitor for guidance as each count was put.

Two women in the public gallery wept quietly.

It took the clerk 10 minutes to put all of the charges to the defendants and following the arraignment, prosecuting counsel Laura Ievers told Judge Piers Grant that “even with the narrowed issues” given Mr Talbot’s confessions, she estimated the trial would last two weeks.

She added that the case “would benefit from a review” before any prospective trial date would be set.

Remanding the couple back into custody and ordering Mr Talbot to now sign the police sex offenders register, Judge Grant said he would review the case on February 28.

Previous courts have heard claims that Heather Talbot allegedly bought stockings and underwear for the infant female before her husband raped her.

There have also been claims the police uncovered photographic evidence in their former home at Kinghill Avenue in Newcastle, Co Down, that showed Gary Talbot and his wife engaging in sexual acts, including rape, with the little girl When the married couple first appeared in court almost a year ago, a detective constable told the court the couples’ home was initially searched October in 2017 when a number of devices, computers and a laptop were seized.

The officer revealed that when the devices were examined, “a number of digital images were found which clearly show Gary and Heather Talbot engaging in sexual activity with a child two-four-years-old at their home address”.

In his interviews, Talbot admitted “making a collection of sexy videos … admitted rape, sexually assaulting and gross indecency with the child”.

He further confessed “that his wife was present” during some incidents and “could’ve taken some of the photos,” some of which he distributed to “like-minded individuals in chat rooms”.

When Heather Talbot was questioned by police, “she stated that she had gone with her husband to purchase the dressing up outfits for the victim and that he had discussed with her prior to that that he had fantasised about children,” revealed the detective.

Heather Talbot also admitted to “dressing the victim for her husband” but claimed she left the room so “did not know what happened after that between her husband and the victim”.

In relation to chat logs found on the couples’ computer, the detective said Mrs Talbot admitted she had accessed “adult swinging websites with her husband and would use fake names on the sites”, but claimed the logs with discussions about the sexual abuse of children “were all written by her husband or that he had distributed the images, not her”.