July 2005 Butcher jailed over indecency charges A PAEDOPHILE was caught out when he showed a female work colleague a video of a 12-year-old girl on his mobile phone. Butcher Gerald Johnson had taken the video footage of his friend’s daughter on the device during a year of abuse. The 55-year-old, who was living in Warminster at the time of the offences, was jailed for two years and made subject to a lifelong order banning him from being alone with children at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday. Lynne Matthews, prosecuting, said the victim was the daughter of a good friend of Johnson’s living in Warminster. The offences came to light in January when Johnson, who works at an abattoir in Frome, showed the footage to a female colleague he had befriended. Miss Matthews said the woman was shocked and called the police. The court was told the footage showed a young girl in a nightie kneeling on a bed. Johnson was arrested and told police the film on his phone was ‘done for a laugh’. She said: “He was asked who it was and he said ‘Can’t tell you because of the girl; I’ll have to talk to her parents’. “He said he was just playing about and that it was spur of the moment thing. Pressed for the name he provided it and an address.” When police went to speak to the girl’s parents they said they had found a picture of a man’s genitals in her room, which they confiscated. Miss Matthews said: “The girl was interviewed and explained that the photograph was given to her by the defendant. She said she had hidden it and believed she had lost it not knowing her parents had found it.” She told police Johnson would often insist the girl touch him or allow him to touch her before he agreed to play. When the girl’s allegations were put to him Johnson initially denied the claims but went on to admit what he had done. Johnson admitted eight counts of indecency, one of making an indecent image and one of showing it. Ian Halliday, defending, said the curious thing about the case was how it came to light. He said the colleague, who he also played darts with, hadn’t accidentally seen the clip on his phone, his client had actually shown it to her. Johnson, he said, was a single man who had lived with his father and was acting like an adolescent boy “showing a friend a mucky picture behind the bike sheds”. Judge Tom Longbotham said the incident was a matter of considerable concern. He imposed a sexual offender protection order banning Johnson from having contact with under 16s unless accompanied by an adult who was not a sex offender. The judge also ordered he serve a two year extended licence, banned him from working with children and told him he had to register as a sex offender for life.