December 2008 Paedophile jailed for child rapes A Hampshire man who raped and sexually assaulted five children aged from three to nine, has been jailed indefinitely. James Ryan Brooks, 23, of Leigh Park, Havant, assaulted his victims over a period of three years. He was arrested in January and at Portsmouth Crown Court he admitted his guilt. He was ordered to serve a minimum of five years and 137 days. Police said they had no doubt Brooks would have continued to offend had his “courageous” victims not come forward. Sentencing Brooks on Friday, Judge White told him: “These children were targeted for your own sexual pleasure. “They were subjected to the most evil and depraved sexual activity.” Following the sentencing, Det Sgt Richard Aston, said Brooks showed no remorse throughout the entire investigation. In a statement, he added: “The only positive thing [Brooks] has done is to finally admit his offending. “It has been a long and traumatic investigation, and this conviction is only made possible thanks to the support and bravery of these very young children and their families. “I have absolutely no doubt that James Brooks would have continued to offend against very young children throughout his life, if it were not for the courageous actions of the victims.” The charges followed an investigation by Hampshire Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit. Brooks’ victims, both male and female, were aged three, five, eight and nine. He faced seven charges of rape and sexual assault. A statement released on behalf of the victims’ parents thanked the judge and said they “never want to hear [Brooks’s] name again”. It read: “We wish Brooks had never entered our lives. He has affected us more than he will ever know. “Our children still have nightmares because of what he put them through. Their lives will never be the same. “This is such a horrible thing to face, but we want to thank all the police officers who worked on our case. “If anyone is faced with the same terrible situation in their lives we would urge you to tell the police about it.