WOODFORD PENSIONER RAFI CAPLIN SPARED JAIL DESPITE CHILD IMAGE CRIMES

In a case that has shocked the community of Woodford, Rafi Caplin, a 72-year-old resident of Northumberland House on Hampstead Avenue, was found guilty of possessing explicit images involving minors. Despite the severity of the charges, Caplin was spared immediate imprisonment, receiving a sentence that was suspended for 18 months.

On Tuesday, July 24, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Caplin was sentenced to eight months in prison, a sentence that will not be served unless he breaches certain conditions during the suspension period. The court heard that Caplin had pleaded guilty to possessing a total of 94 images, categorized into different levels of severity. Specifically, he admitted to possessing 16 Category A images, which are considered the most serious, along with 65 Category B images and 13 Category C images. These images were believed to have been in his possession on or before June 18, 2016.

The investigation into Caplin’s devices began when authorities seized his phone, laptop, and computer on June 18, 2016, during a separate inquiry. An expert analysis of these devices uncovered the disturbing collection of images. Prosecutor Helen McCormack detailed the nature of the most severe images, describing them as involving acts of penetrative sexual intercourse with children, who appeared to be young teenagers, predominantly boys, with at least one image involving a girl.

Regarding the Category B images, McCormack explained that the majority depicted underage teenagers engaged in acts such as masturbation, either alone or with other minors. The investigation also uncovered that Caplin had conducted systematic Google searches for terms like “young boy’s home video” and other explicit phrases, dating back to March 2014, indicating premeditation and intent.

It was also revealed that Caplin volunteered at a Jewish youth community centre in Woodford, raising concerns about his involvement with minors and the potential risk posed by his actions. His defence solicitor, Nichola Cafferkey, requested that the court consider a community order instead of jail, citing Caplin’s poor health, the relatively low number of images compared to other cases, and the ages of the children involved.

Judge Hammerton acknowledged these points but emphasized the importance of both punishment and rehabilitation. He stated, “I am clear that I am able to take that course of suspending it because, in my judgement, a suspended sentence will both rehabilitate you and punish you.” As part of his sentence, Caplin was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years, adhere to a curfew from 9 pm to 7 am, and pay court costs amounting to £750.