STUART PRIEST AND HIS HORRIFIC CRIMES IN PLYMOUTH
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Plymouth, Stuart Priest, aged 34, was handed a significant prison sentence after he was found guilty of possessing a vast collection of indecent images of children, taking inappropriate photographs involving children, and committing a sexual assault.Court proceedings revealed that Priest’s offenses involved highly disturbing material, including images where children were depicted as 'bound, gagged, and in distress.' Police investigations also uncovered that he harbored a disturbing sexual interest in animals, particularly dogs, which he had documented through electronic devices.
The severity and nature of his crimes prompted serious legal consequences.
The case was brought to light after law enforcement authorities conducted a search of Priest’s residence in Kings Tamerton, Plymouth, on August 27, 2020.
This search was initiated based on intelligence gathered from email interactions, which prompted police to scrutinize his electronic devices.
During their search, officers seized a computer tower and two mobile phones, alongside examining cloud storage linked to Priest’s email accounts.
A detailed analysis of these devices revealed an extensive amount of illegal material.
Police discovered a total of 1,421 indecent images of children, which included 101 still images and 704 moving images classified as Category A—the most explicit and severe category.
Additional images and videos fell into Categories B and C, with police finding 50 still images and 245 videos at Category B, and 175 still images and 146 videos at Category C.
The images ranged in the children’s ages from as young as six months to fourteen years old.
The individual search terms used by Priest were equally concerning, with phrases such as 'kiddie naked', 'kiddie f***', and 'illegal pre-teen model' found within his search history.
The cloud storage on encrypted servers predominantly contained moving images portraying children being 'bound, gagged, and in distress,' further underscoring the horrifying nature of his offending.
In a social and criminal investigatory process, police also uncovered evidence indicating that Priest had taken indecent images himself, involving two children under the age of 13.
Some of these images were staged photographs where Priest was actively engaged in sexual acts, classified by the court as sexual assault through bodily contact.
For legal reasons, the identities of the children involved were not disclosed.
Further forensic examination revealed that mobile phone applications linked to file sharing—some known for hosting indecent images—were installed on Priest’s devices.
Authorities identified contacts with usernames suggestive of involvement in sharing or possessing illegal materials, including names like 'Daddy likes rape.' One of the devices contained applications with explicit terms such as 'Dads and boys' and 'rape fantasy,' highlighting the disturbing context of his online activity.
When interviewed by police, Priest admitted to storing and viewing the illegal images but denied having a sexual interest in children.
Nonetheless, during subsequent interviews, he controversially confessed to having previously used a dog to attract sexual gratification, stating that he had 'got a dog to lick his penis' in past years.
Additional evidence from his electronic devices indicated that he maintained a sexual interest in animals, particularly dogs.
Defense counsel Emily Cook presented mitigation on Priest’s behalf, expressing genuine remorse and a desire to rehabilitation.
She highlighted his difficult circumstances, noting that he had been employed in retail, managing multiple branches with long working hours from 5:30 a.m.
to 10 p.m.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Priest’s wages were reduced from a managerial salary to minimum wage, and he was eventually made redundant as stores closed.
This period of financial strain contributed to his struggles with mounting debts and a sense of despair.
Ms.
Cook further explained that Priest turned to alcohol as a sleep aid and was grappling with issues regarding his gender identity.
She suggested that he was initially disgusted upon being unknowingly exposed to unsolicited indecent images, but over time, he developed a problematic interest resulting from his 'unorthodox' preferences.
Despite his remorse and efforts to seek help, including participating in the Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s program, his actions had profound consequences: he lost his job, his home, and faced social ostracism.
The presiding judge, Neil Davey KC, acknowledged that Priest had no prior convictions and considered the plea arrangement and mitigation presented.
The judge noted that Priest himself admitted to developing a sexual interest in children, which had grown over time, a factor that could not serve as an excuse for his heinous actions.
While recognizing the circumstances explained by his defence, the judge emphasized that they did not justify his conduct.
In delivering his sentence, Judge Davey KC sentenced Priest to four years in prison.
He also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and mandated that Priest register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, reflecting the gravity of his crimes and ensuring ongoing monitoring to protect the public from future offenses.
