July 1998 Five men jailed after Internet police crack paedophile ring Five men were jailed yesterday after police used the Internet to crack a child sex group which preyed on young boys. Another man was sentenced to two years’ youth detention after Coventry Crown Court was told two boys aged 14 and 16 were abused at a flat where pornographic images of children as young as five were found. Five of the group took turns to sexually abuse a 14-year-old boy who went to the flat on several occasions. They all pleaded guilty to various indecency offences. After the hearing, Det Sgt Pete Uglow, of West Midlands Police’s paedophile and pornography unit, revealed intelligence gleaned from the Internet had led detectives to a flat in the Bell Green area of Coventry, owned by Andrew Burt, and also to a computer business in Leamington owned by John Jones. He said: “The men involved in this paedophile ring are a threat to children and we are satisfied that this operation has put them behind bars.” The court heard that detectives found computer disks containing almost 800 indecent images of children. Burt (46), of Roseberry Avenue, Coventry, was jailed for four years for two indecent assaults and two years for a charge of distributing and possessing indecent pictures of children. The sentences will run concurrently. Steven Gustavson (41), of Charles Avenue, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, was also jailed for four years after admitting two charges of indecent assault. Harald Schutze (59), of New Warwick Road, Leamington, received 18 months for indecent assault and 12 mon ths, concurrent, for possessing indecent images. John Jones (45), of Clemens Street, also Leamington, was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to indecently assaulting the younger boy. Jones’ 20-year-old gay lover Richard Jackman, of the same address, was sentenced to two years’ youth custody for one charge of serious sexual assault. Jackman was the only gang member with no previous convictions for paedophile offences. Richard Jones (no relation) (21), of Darwin Road, Walsall, was jailed for 18 months for three offences of indecent assault.