JOHN BYERS OF HARTLEPOOL SENTENCED FOR HISTORIC SEXUAL OFFENCES AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
In June 2014, John Byers, a 58-year-old man from Hartlepool, was sentenced to six years in prison for crimes committed three decades earlier.The court found him guilty of five counts of indecent assault and 17 counts related to child pornography discovered on his computers.
The victim, whose identity is protected by law, recounted the abuse she endured at Byers' hands during a four-day trial the previous month.
Prosecutor Shaud Dodds described the impact on the victim, stating, “She indicated at the time of the abuse she would wake up crying.
She would say to her mum she felt sick and was having awful nightmares but was effectively too scared to say anything to her parents.
She went on to describe the effect it has had on her life and mentions depression for the last six years.” During police interviews in 2012, officers uncovered that Byers had downloaded 475 indecent images of girls around the same age as his victim.
Analysis revealed searches for terms like ‘schoolgirl’ and ‘pre-teen’, which Byers claimed to have found accidentally while searching for adult pornography.
Judge Howard Crowson dismissed this explanation, suggesting that while he might not have acted on his interest since the 1980s, the interest persisted.
Byers, of Everett Street, Hartlepool, was convicted of 16 counts of creating indecent images and one count of possessing indecent images of children.
Despite having no prior convictions and maintaining his innocence, he was sentenced accordingly.
Lorraine Mustard, representing the defense, emphasized, “There has been no suggestion this type of offending behaviour has been repeated since these incidents in the mid 1980s.” Judge Crowson remarked, “She should have been safe.
She would have been, except you had an interest in her.
She was innocent and, as is common, although aware what was happening to her was wrong, she didn’t have the knowledge to recognize it for what it was until she was older.
She lived with that burden and kept it to herself.
She has been affected by your behaviour all her life.
She said you ruined her life.” As a result, Byers will be registered as a sex offender for life and is subject to an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order that restricts future contact with girls under 16 and limits his internet access.
In a related case, also in May 2014, John Byers, age 57, was convicted at Teesside Crown Court after a four-day trial of multiple sex offences and distribution of child abuse images.
The jury found him guilty of five historic sexual assaults on the same young girl, 16 counts of making indecent images, and one count of possessing 475 indecent images between February 2009 and July 2012.
The victim testified about repeated indecent touches when she was a child, and the prolonged delay in reporting the abuse was explained as a result of her not recognizing the severity at the time.
Following his arrest, police seized numerous indecent images, including children as young as six, with forensic expert Raymond Savage noting that Byers downloaded 99 images over a 12-minute window in early January 2011, searching terms such as ‘tiny teen’ and ‘pre-teen.’ Byers claimed to have accidentally discovered the images while searching for adult pornography and denied the sexual assault allegations.
He maintained his innocence throughout.
After almost a full day of deliberation, the jury unanimously convicted him.
Judge Howard Crowson scheduled his sentencing for May 30, at which point he was remanded in custody, with the court indicating that a lengthy prison term was inevitable.
