SIMON COLLINS FROM CHELMSFORD ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE HORRIFIC CHILD PORN AND GROOMING CASES
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Chelmsford, Simon Collins, a 52-year-old man residing on Moran Avenue, has been found guilty of multiple serious sex offences involving children, yet he narrowly avoided a custodial sentence.The court proceedings revealed a pattern of disturbing online behavior, including grooming minors and possessing an extensive collection of indecent images.
According to court records, Collins engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a girl under the age of 15 and a 14-year-old boy.
He persuaded the girl to send him explicit photographs of herself and discussed the possibility of meeting the boy for sexual activities.
These conversations took place over several years, with the earliest dating back to 2010.
The court heard that Collins had also been in contact with a man in a chatroom, who claimed to have been involved in sexual acts with his step-sister since she was four years old, and with a 13-year-old girl in America.
Collins encouraged the girl to send more explicit images and expressed a desire for more invasive photographs involving penetrative sex.
Police investigations uncovered a horrifying collection of over 900 indecent images of children, some as young as 14 months old, stored on Collins' computer.
The images ranged from babies to 14-year-olds, with 292 classified as Category A, the most severe classification for child pornography.
In addition to images, police found videos depicting oral sex and intercourse with dogs, as well as videos showing life-threatening acts.
The discovery was made during a police raid on January 20, 2015, at Collins' residence, which he shared with his parents following his separation from his wife.
Prosecutor Raj Joshi detailed the extent of Collins' online activities, emphasizing that the conversations with minors were the core concern.
He explained that Collins had also spoken to a 14-year-old boy who identified as gay, discussing potential meetings for sexual acts.
Although no physical contact was made, the court considered these chats as evidence of grooming and intent.
On May 16, Collins pleaded guilty to 12 sex offences spanning over five years, including inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, grooming a 14-year-old boy, and possessing numerous indecent images and videos.
Despite the gravity of these crimes, Judge Patricia Lynch QC decided not to impose immediate imprisonment.
She acknowledged that Collins had not physically met or pursued any contact with the children, which she described as his 'saving grace.' Judge Lynch sentenced Collins to concurrent terms of four months for each of ten offences related to downloading or creating indecent images, along with an 18-month sentence for grooming and inciting sexual activity.
All sentences were suspended for two years, with Collins ordered to participate in a sexual offenders' treatment program and to be supervised for the same period.
Additionally, he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years, which will monitor his internet activity.
During the sentencing, Judge Lynch addressed Collins directly, stating, “You should be hanging your head in shame.
People like yourself forget that those images are real children who are subjected to degrading, horrendous abuse.
How would you feel if it was your daughter being filmed?” Collins responded, “I would be disgusted, shocked and appalled and exceptionally angry.” Following his arrest, Collins lost his job as a mortgage broker, a position he had held for 23 years.
The case has raised serious concerns about online safety and the protection of minors from exploitation, highlighting the importance of vigilant law enforcement and community awareness in combating such heinous crimes.
