JOHN LEE, PAEDOPHILE TAX OFFICER, SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL
A paedophile tax official kept a horrifying collection of child sex abuse images for three years.John Lee amassed a total of 4,781 indecent images of children, including 134 videos of minors as young as two being raped.
The 43-year-old, who worked for HM Revenue & Customs for two decades before being dismissed yesterday, also shared 14 child sex abuse images via WhatsApp and Kik Messenger with a fellow paedophile.
He admitted to telling his contact he wanted to have sex with an 11-year-old girl he knew and even sent him a photograph of her.
Prosecutor Peter Hussey told Liverpool Crown Court: 'All charges arose from an investigation by Merseyside Police following the execution of a warrant at his address last May, when officers had reason to believe he had been downloading indecent photographs of children from the internet.' Mr Hussey explained that the images were discovered after police seized a laptop and a phone during their search.
Lee had amassed a total of 4,781 indecent images, with 1,041 depicting child rape.
His collection included 1,006 Category B images and 2,734 Category C images.
The court was told that 172 of these were videos, 134 of which related to child rape.
Lee had distributed 14 images, seven of which were videos, via WhatsApp and Kik.
The prosecutor added that Lee shared images with a user called 'Incestloverboy' and in one exchange, he sent a picture of an 11-year-old girl he knew—who was fully clothed—and expressed his desire to have sexual relations with her.
John Lee, of Dalemeadow Road, Knotty Ash, pleaded guilty to three counts of downloading, one of possessing, and one of distributing indecent images of children, between July 25, 2017, and May 21, 2020.
Defense lawyer David Birrell requested that the judge consider personal letters from Lee's family and referenced a report from a psychosexual therapist suggesting that Lee's actions may have been influenced by mental health issues stemming from work-related stress and depression.
Mr Birrell highlighted that Lee had no previous convictions, expressed remorse and shame, and was suffering from self-loathing.
He described Lee as a diligent worker who had served in the civil service for 20 years, achieving a distinguished career that ended with his dismissal.
Lee’s wife of 19 years was present and supportive, and the lawyer added that Lee maintained supervised contact with his two sons, who are aware of the situation.
Mr Birrell stated that according to a pre-sentence report, Lee’s risk of reoffending was low and that he had taken steps to address his issues by contacting a helpline, completing a 10-week programme with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and paying for therapy.
He had also sought medical help for mental health problems and was on anti-depressants.
He urged the court to consider the psychological and emotional impact of the pandemic on Lee and his family, noting the 'traumatic effect' it had on his sons.
Judge Recorder Ian Unsworth, QC, emphasised the gravity of the case: 'While you might have fantasised about and collected images of children in the early morning hours, each of these images represents a real person.
Each victim is a child, many of whom may be unaware of the horrors inflicted upon them before they even begin to walk or talk.' The judge identified several significant aggravating factors, including the vulnerability of the victims and Lee’s distribution of the images.
However, he also acknowledged mitigating circumstances such as Lee’s lack of prior convictions and his remorse.
John Lee was sentenced to 32 months in prison, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life, and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same duration.
