JAMES POWER FROM LITTLEHAMPTON SENT SEX VIDEOS AND CHILD ABUSE IMAGES ONLINE

In September 2021, a disturbing case emerged involving James Power, a man from Littlehampton, who was convicted of serious crimes related to voyeurism and the distribution of indecent images. The case was heard at Exeter Crown Court, revealing a pattern of invasive and illegal behavior that shocked the local community and beyond.

Power, aged 40 and residing on Roundball Close in Honiton, was found guilty of multiple charges, including two counts of voyeurism, three counts of making indecent images of children through downloading, one count of distributing such images, and possession of extreme images. His actions spanned over a period during 2018 and 2019, during which he secretly filmed sexual encounters with two women, without their knowledge or consent.

The explicit videos, which Power filmed during intimate moments with the women, were later shared on the adult website xHamster by an unknown third party. The court was told that Power had initially obtained the consent of the women to record their sexual sessions, believing these recordings were for his personal use only. However, he later engaged in online chats with a man, pretending to be a female slave in a kinky master-slave dynamic, during which he sent the videos. Unbeknownst to Power, the other man uploaded the clips to the porn site, making them accessible to a global audience of hundreds of thousands.

The victims, both of whom provided victim impact statements, expressed profound distress and fear. One stated, “When I think of what happened, I feel physically sick. I get flashbacks at night.” The other added, “I feel betrayed. I am self-conscious knowing they could be seen by my family and friends. I’m disgusted.” The court heard that the women had initially consented to filming, but not to sharing the videos, which caused them significant emotional harm.

Further investigations uncovered more disturbing material at Power’s residence in Honiton. Police discovered a large doll that he had modified to resemble private parts, indicating a disturbing level of premeditation and deviant behavior. Additionally, authorities found child abuse images on his devices, including two images he had sent to another individual along with messages discussing the rape of one of the girls depicted in the images. Power also possessed extreme images, which he downloaded from the internet.

During police interviews, Power admitted to possessing and sharing these images. He also revealed that he had sent two of the child and animal images to a person he referred to as his ‘master’ while posing as a trans female called Slave Joan in online chatrooms. He further discussed the possibility of raping one of the children in the images, though he later claimed these were merely ‘words’ and that he would never harm a real child.

Judge David Evans sentenced Power to a total of two years in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders register and ordered to comply with a ten-year sexual harm prevention order. The judge emphasized the severity of Power’s actions, stating, “The women were deeply shocked and concerned and distressed. They considered you were taking videos which were for your eyes only. They consented on your assurance it was for your personal use only.”

He added, “The second victim ended the relationship because she developed a feeling there was something creepy about your use of your mobile phone. It appears she was not wrong about that. When she learned about the posting of the videos, she felt quite understandably shocked, angry and humiliated.”

Prosecutor Mr. Richard Crabb explained that although the women initially agreed to Power filming their sexual encounters, they did not consent to him sharing the videos. The situation worsened when Power uploaded the clips to the internet while engaged in a disturbing online master-slave relationship. The case highlights the serious consequences of invasive and illegal online behavior, with the community left to grapple with the implications of such a betrayal.