SIMON HERD JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN YORK AND SOUTHAMPTON
In May 2013, Simon Charles Herd, a 48-year-old man with connections to both Southampton and York, was sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted of serious sex offences involving minors.Herd’s criminal activities came to light following his employment with the City of York Council, where he had worked for several years, providing services that gave him access to children.
Herd’s arrest was prompted by investigations into his possession of indecent photographs of children, as well as his use of covert surveillance devices to film minors without their knowledge.
The charges against him included 15 counts of possessing sexual images of children on his personal computer at his residence, and two counts of voyeurism, which involved secretly filming children for his own sexual gratification.
At the time of his arrest, Herd was residing in York.
However, after being taken into custody, he moved to Southampton.
His guilty plea was entered on April 17 at York Magistrates Court, where he admitted to the charges.
The court proceedings revealed that Herd had used hidden cameras to record children, an act that was both invasive and deeply disturbing.
Judge Stephen Ashurst sentenced Herd at York Crown Court, imposing an eight-month term for the voyeurism offences and an additional four months for the possession of indecent photographs.
The court also ordered Herd to be registered as a sex offender for the next ten years.
Furthermore, a ten-year sex offenders’ prevention order was issued, aimed at restricting his future conduct and preventing him from engaging in further sexual crimes involving minors.
This order was requested by the prosecution to mitigate the risk of Herd reoffending.
In addition to the restrictions on his behaviour, Herd was permanently barred from working with children in any capacity.
The court’s decision reflects the severity of his crimes and the potential danger he poses to minors.
Following the sentencing, the City of York Council issued a statement expressing their satisfaction with the outcome.
The statement read: “The council is pleased that agencies across the city have worked so successfully since allegations were made about Mr Simon Herd to investigate and bring the matter to court.
As with all cases such as this, the council will, as usual, have a full debrief and review in the next few days when all information regarding the case is available.” During the initial court proceedings, the council requested restrictions on reporting, including a ban on identifying Herd.
However, magistrates rejected this request after hearing arguments from The Press, allowing Herd’s identity to be publicly disclosed due to the seriousness of the offences and the public interest involved.
