JOSEF HESLING FROM WESTON-SUPER-MARE CAUGHT WITH CHILD RAPE VIDEO AND INDECENT IMAGES IN STRATFORD

In April 2017, authorities uncovered disturbing evidence linking Josef Hesling, a man originally from Stratford who later moved to Weston-super-Mare, to a series of serious criminal activities involving child exploitation. The investigation was initiated when police received intelligence suggesting Hesling was involved in uploading and sharing indecent images of children on the internet.

During the course of their inquiry, law enforcement officials traced Hesling’s online activity through his Gmail and Yahoo accounts, which ultimately led to his arrest. Hesling was residing in rented accommodation in Stratford at the time of the investigation but had since relocated to Weston-super-Mare, where he was apprehended in March of the same year.

Authorities seized three mobile phones from Hesling’s possession. Among the contents of these devices was a particularly heinous image depicting a girl aged between three and six engaged in a sexual act. This image was classified as Category B, indicating it was among the more severe types of child abuse material. The investigation also uncovered a video clip on Hesling’s iPhone showing a girl, estimated to be just three or four years old, being raped—a deeply disturbing piece of evidence that further implicated him.

In addition to the most severe Category A video, Hesling’s phones contained numerous other indecent images. These included Category C images of girls aged from eight to fifteen, posed in naked or sexually suggestive ways. The collection of images and videos painted a clear picture of Hesling’s involvement in the possession and distribution of child abuse material.

When questioned by police, Hesling admitted that the email addresses associated with his accounts belonged to him. He claimed that he had received the images from others and that he had engaged in online conversations where he shared such material. Hesling also acknowledged that some of the females depicted might have been under 16, but he insisted he believed they were older, possibly as young as 15, and did not think they were underage.

Prosecutor Antonie Muller highlighted that Hesling’s communications with the individual who sent him the child rape video included more than fifty messages. In one message, Hesling remarked, “Got it, but a bit young,” and in another, he expressed heightened arousal, stating, “So bloody horny now,” indicating a disturbing level of engagement with the material.

Hesling, aged 49 at the time, faced multiple charges related to the possession of indecent images of children. Despite the gravity of his actions, he was given a seven-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years. The court also ordered Hesling to participate in a rehabilitation program, complete 150 hours of unpaid work, and register as a sex offender for a decade. Judge Andrew Lockhart QC emphasized the seriousness of Hesling’s offenses, noting that although he was considered a man of good character prior to these events, his actions in 2015 had caused irreversible harm. The judge stated, “You were a man of good character, yet in 2015 you were responsible for having on your devices images of children—one of a child being raped. That image will exist for years. Each and every time someone views that, that child, perhaps now in her teenage years or even an adult, is abused.”