March 2017 Predatory paedophile jailed for more than six years A predatory paedophile has been jailed for more than six years for grooming a 12-year-old girl online so that she sent him explicit naked images of herself. Lee Savage, aged 35, arranged to meet the youngster for sex but never travelled to her home town, a court heard. He pestered and pressured the girl over a messaging app, even threatening to kill himself if she did not comply with his perverted demands. Police who caught up with Savage found he had more than 4,500 indecent images of children on his mobile phone. Jailing him for six years and four months for a string of offences, Judge Paul Darlow told him: “Your behaviour was predatory and persistent, bombarding this girl with messages over this app despite her attempts to shake you off, which included uninstalling the app. “You threatened to kill yourself and you should have been aware of the impact that would have on a girl of that age.” Savage, of St Mary’s Street, Stonehouse, pleaded guilty to causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity between July and August 2015. He also admitted to arranging to meet a child following sexual grooming and breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order imposed for an early crime. Savage also pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing a total of just over 4,500 indecent images of children. Jason Beal, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Savage used a false name to contact the girl when she was aged 12 over the instant messaging service Kick. He did not include any picture of himself, but did confess his true age. Mr Beal said he contacted the girl “every five seconds”. He added that she tried to break off contact, even uninstalling and reinstalling the app several times. Mr Beal said Savage kept getting in touch, threatening on one occasion to kill himself but also promising her presents. He added Savage sent the girl sexual pictures and persuaded her to take indecent pictures of herself and send them to him. Mr Beal said they arranged to meet in her home town in Devon to go to the cinema, but she made her excuses and there was no evidence he went there. He added the girl’s mother stumbled across a message from Savage and police traced him through his mobile number. He was found to have just over 4,500 indecent images of children, including 1,725 indecent images showing children being sexually abused. Mr Beal said the phone showed he had set up an email account under false details which was against the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Savage has previous convictions for possession of indecent images of children and sexual activity with a child under 16.