June 2008 Bookshop pervert’s fantasies of murder A PERVERT who fantasised about raping and murdering children and talked about his desires over the internet worked with children for more than 30 years, it was revealed yesterday. Phillip John George Webb held positions of trust over children in schools, as a Cub Scout leader and as an activity co-ordinator in a remand centre, Durham Crown Court heard. But behind his facade as a bookshop owner, the 54-year-old – who is married with a grown-up family – shared fantasies about asphyxiating and raping children with other paedophiles in an internet chatroom, and distributed images of child porn. When police raided his shop, they found 36,265 indecent images of children. Some were of babies. Nearly 1,000 were of the most serious level, featuring sadism or sexual activity with animals. More than 11,000 featured sexual activity between children and adults. The collection also contained pseudo images and films, including 103 films from these two categories. Sentencing Webb to three years and three months in prison yesterday, Judge Richard Lowden said: “Not only have you downloaded these images, you have sorted them on CDs, showing particular interest in the material. “In distributing these images to other people who you don’t know, you engaged in the most horrifying fantasies relating to raping children, asphyxiating and murdering children for the purposes of sexual gratification.” The judge said that by sharing his fantasies, Webb could have encouraged others to act upon them. Police visited Webb’s All Things Books store, on The Bank, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, late last year, after an investigation by police in another area of the country showed he was in contact with a person responsible for distributing indecent images of children involving oral sex and rape. A search warrant was also issued for his former home, in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Richard Cowen, prosecuting, said: “I think it would be fair to say that when they arrived, Mr Webb almost seemed to know what they were coming for and led them to a place where he handed them discs.” The top disc on a pile of 15 was labelled “Jenny, aged nine”. Webb claimed he was carrying out an investigation and had no sexual interest in children. Both claims were rejected by Judge Lowden. Nathan Adams, for Webb, said: “The defendant denies any of his intention was sexual. He wanted to root out those who were responsible.” But the judge said: “I really cannot see how I can possibly sentence on that basis. It’s so outwith common sense and outwith what he actually did about it. He does nothing about disclosing their identities to the authorities at all.” Mr Adams said Webb had worked in positions with responsibility for children “ever since finishing his A-levels” and no complaint had been made against him. He added: “He’s worked with children throughout and there has never been any suggestion of any wrongdoing of a sexual nature.” Mr Adams argued that Webb should not be considered to pose a significant risk to the public through reoffending, saying: “When one steps outside the electronic environment they were in, you have a history pointing towards the risk not being significant.” Judge Lowden accepted Webb should not be considered dangerous, but told him: “You’ve got to be sentenced for a very serious series of offences relating to indecent images of children. “I cannot accept the view you have given to various people that you engaged in this activity in some way to flush out other paedophiles. That’s not what happened. “Your claims to have no sexual interest in children – that’s something I simply cannot accept on the evidence of this case. “Unfortunately, in your case a vast majority of the images relate to very, very young children, indeed babies.” At Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, April 12, Webb, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing indecent images of children, eight charges of distributing indecent images of children and eight charges of making indecent images of children, by copying and downloading. He has since undergone psychiatric examination. Yesterday, along with being jailed, Webb was made the subject of a 30-year sexual offences prevention order, banning him from accessing the internet in private and using internet chatrooms. He was banned from working with children and ordered to remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the rest of his life. Now closed, All Things Books sold new and old titles and offered a repair, restoration and valuation service. Before the scandal broke, the shop’s website described the business as a “friendly little book shop” in the “delightful market town of Barnard Castle”.