PAUL STEVENS CHIPPENHAM NURSE DIES FROM CORONAVIRUS AFTER CHILD SEX OFFENSES
| Red Rose Database
Chippenham Child Sexual Abuser
In June 2020, Paul Stevens, a 69-year-old former nurse from Chippenham, tragically passed away after contracting COVID-19 while hospitalized. His death came approximately a month after he was admitted to the hospital for heart-related issues. Stevens was a convicted sex offender with a long history of offenses against children, and his death marked the end of a criminal case that was set to proceed in his absence.
Stevens was scheduled to appear in court to face charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, but the proceedings were ultimately closed due to his untimely death. Over the past decade, he accumulated more than seven years of imprisonment related to crimes involving children. His most recent conviction occurred in 2017, when he received a sentence of three and a half years after admitting to possessing and distributing indecent images of children—specifically, three counts of possession and two counts of distribution.
Following his release from prison in October of the previous year, Stevens returned to his flat on Chelwood Close, a first-floor residence in Chippenham. Neighbors reported that he had not been seen leaving or entering his flat for the past month, raising concerns about his health and whereabouts. It was later revealed that he was hospitalized due to heart problems but succumbed to COVID-19 during his stay.
Back in January 2018, Stevens was again in the spotlight when he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for the distribution of indecent images of children. Despite his repeated convictions, Stevens maintained that he was not sexually attracted to children, a claim he insisted upon during his trial. Prosecutors detailed how he had emailed thousands of such images and videos to like-minded individuals, highlighting the extent of his online activities.
At the age of 66, Stevens, residing on Chelwood Close in Chippenham, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of possessing and two of distributing indecent images. He also admitted to breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed in 2011, which was designed to restrict his online activities. Prosecutor Hannah Squire explained that police had obtained intelligence indicating Stevens was actively using his computer to access and share illegal material. When authorities searched his home, they seized his computer and tablet, discovering a collection of indecent images and videos involving children.
The investigation uncovered that Stevens had sent 520 emails from two different addresses to various individuals he met through chat rooms. Additionally, he engaged in online conversations where he pretended to be a 16-year-old girl, further illustrating his attempts to conceal his activities. The court heard that Stevens had previously been convicted in 2011 for similar offenses, which resulted in a sexual harm prevention order banning him from using chat rooms. Despite this, he violated the order, leading to a four-year prison sentence at that time. A decade earlier, he had also been placed on probation after being caught with indecent images on his computer.
Judge Robert Pawson addressed Stevens directly during sentencing, emphasizing the gravity of his actions. He stated, “It can’t have escaped your attention, Mr. Stevens, that people like you watching and distributing images like this mean that somewhere around the world there is a seven-year-old being sexually abused. If it wasn’t for people like you, those children would not be abused, with the long-term impact that has on them. You contribute directly to the sexual abuse of children.” The judge also refuted Stevens’s claim of lacking sexual attraction to children, asserting that such assertions were manifestly untrue.
Historically, Stevens’s criminal activities date back to at least March 2001, when he was given probation after being found with images of child sexual abuse. At that time, he was a nurse named Paul Michael Stevens, living in Warminster. He was sentenced to 36 months’ probation and ordered to undergo sex offender therapy after pleading guilty to 20 charges of possessing indecent images. Police had seized his computer and printed images of children engaged in sexual acts, which were found in his home and briefcase. His defense argued that Stevens, who had struggled with alcoholism for nearly 20 years, was coming to terms with his sexual predilection and had not acted on his urges. Nevertheless, authorities emphasized the high risk of reoffending without proper treatment, especially given his history of prior convictions and breaches of court orders.
Stevens was scheduled to appear in court to face charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, but the proceedings were ultimately closed due to his untimely death. Over the past decade, he accumulated more than seven years of imprisonment related to crimes involving children. His most recent conviction occurred in 2017, when he received a sentence of three and a half years after admitting to possessing and distributing indecent images of children—specifically, three counts of possession and two counts of distribution.
Following his release from prison in October of the previous year, Stevens returned to his flat on Chelwood Close, a first-floor residence in Chippenham. Neighbors reported that he had not been seen leaving or entering his flat for the past month, raising concerns about his health and whereabouts. It was later revealed that he was hospitalized due to heart problems but succumbed to COVID-19 during his stay.
Back in January 2018, Stevens was again in the spotlight when he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for the distribution of indecent images of children. Despite his repeated convictions, Stevens maintained that he was not sexually attracted to children, a claim he insisted upon during his trial. Prosecutors detailed how he had emailed thousands of such images and videos to like-minded individuals, highlighting the extent of his online activities.
At the age of 66, Stevens, residing on Chelwood Close in Chippenham, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of possessing and two of distributing indecent images. He also admitted to breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed in 2011, which was designed to restrict his online activities. Prosecutor Hannah Squire explained that police had obtained intelligence indicating Stevens was actively using his computer to access and share illegal material. When authorities searched his home, they seized his computer and tablet, discovering a collection of indecent images and videos involving children.
The investigation uncovered that Stevens had sent 520 emails from two different addresses to various individuals he met through chat rooms. Additionally, he engaged in online conversations where he pretended to be a 16-year-old girl, further illustrating his attempts to conceal his activities. The court heard that Stevens had previously been convicted in 2011 for similar offenses, which resulted in a sexual harm prevention order banning him from using chat rooms. Despite this, he violated the order, leading to a four-year prison sentence at that time. A decade earlier, he had also been placed on probation after being caught with indecent images on his computer.
Judge Robert Pawson addressed Stevens directly during sentencing, emphasizing the gravity of his actions. He stated, “It can’t have escaped your attention, Mr. Stevens, that people like you watching and distributing images like this mean that somewhere around the world there is a seven-year-old being sexually abused. If it wasn’t for people like you, those children would not be abused, with the long-term impact that has on them. You contribute directly to the sexual abuse of children.” The judge also refuted Stevens’s claim of lacking sexual attraction to children, asserting that such assertions were manifestly untrue.
Historically, Stevens’s criminal activities date back to at least March 2001, when he was given probation after being found with images of child sexual abuse. At that time, he was a nurse named Paul Michael Stevens, living in Warminster. He was sentenced to 36 months’ probation and ordered to undergo sex offender therapy after pleading guilty to 20 charges of possessing indecent images. Police had seized his computer and printed images of children engaged in sexual acts, which were found in his home and briefcase. His defense argued that Stevens, who had struggled with alcoholism for nearly 20 years, was coming to terms with his sexual predilection and had not acted on his urges. Nevertheless, authorities emphasized the high risk of reoffending without proper treatment, especially given his history of prior convictions and breaches of court orders.