July 2011 Paedophile victims felt trapped like puppets in web of evil A paedophile who posed as a handsome teenager to trawl the internet befriending and sexually abusing young girls has been jailed for four years. Stephen Peers (43) visited social networking sites posing as a 17-year-old boy called Vinny to entice four girls, aged 11 to 16, into intimate online relationships. To complete his deception, he signed his posts with a profile picture of a young male model. Leicester Crown Court heard yesterday that Peers, formerly of Queens Road, Hinckley, but now living in North Wales, began by engaging them in apparently innocent online chats. The court heard as their relationships progressed, he began pressing his victims to send him revealing photographs of themselves. A number of youngsters were so under his control, they obeyed his instructions to use web cameras to send him live images of them committing degrading sexual acts. Peers, who will be placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely, recorded the web camera exchanges without the girls’ knowledge. The photographs – some in the most serious category of child pornography – and camera footage were found stored on his computer when police raided his home in March last year. Police discovered more than 1,600 indecent photographs or film clips in his possession. Prosecutor Victoria Rose said the victims had felt like “puppets” and had suffered severe emotional trauma as a result of their contact with him. She said one of his victims, a 13-year-old girl, was grieving the death of her sister when she encountered Peers online in late 2008. The girl later told police officers she had discussed with Peers her deepest emotions and her reaction to her sister’s death. As their online relationship progressed, Peers began to urge her to send sexual photographs of herself to him. The abuse escalated when he encouraged her to use a web camera to send him images of her committing sex acts on herself. Another victim, aged 15, eventually saw through his deception and told him she was going to contact the police, Miss Rose said. He told the girl she would get into trouble herself because she had sent him indecent pictures of herself. He also tried to silence her by threatening to release the photographs on to the internet. Leicestershire police’s paedophile online investigation team began investigating Peers in 2010 after being alerted by a victim. Peers admitted five offences of inciting children to engage in sexual activity and eight counts of making indecent images of children. However, police believe there are other victims across the UK who have never been traced. Judge Christopher Metcalfe told Peers: “The extent of your obsession – and it is undoubtedly an obsession – is that you would spend up to 12 hours a day talking to these young girls.” The judge also imposed a sexual offences prevention order, which will come into effect when he is released from prison. This legally-binding order will mean he is banned from living or working with children and gaining access to the internet. James Varley, representing Peers, said his client was genuinely remorseful and had admitted his crimes immediately when confronted by police. He had changed his life since his crimes came to light, including turning to the Church. Det Sgt Pete Flynn, of Leicestershire police’s child abuse investigation unit, said after the hearing: “The girl who helped us bring this man to justice hit the ‘report abuse’ button on the social networking site. “It’s that simple, if they are uncomfortable with the contact they are having with someone online, they can just press that button.”