November 2012 ‘Predatory paedophile’ is jailed for 12 years A “PREDATORY” paedophile who groomed and abused two young boys has been put behind bars for 12 years. Wayne Minns, from Ham, was jailed yesterday after admitting 19 counts of serious offences against the two youngsters. His crimes included six rapes and making and distributing indecent images of the children. Some of the sick images were graded at Level 5 – the most severe. Plymouth Crown Court heard how Minns had carried out the abuse over the course of nearly a decade. The charges against him followed crimes committed between January and April 2003, May and July 2004, December 2007, December 2010 and March this year. Nick Lewin, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Minns had repeatedly raped the two young victims. “It became such common practice for one victim it was normal to him,” Mr Lewin told the court. Sentencing Minns, Judge Jeremy Griggs told him: “These were serious offences which can only be dealt with by a substantial custodial term. “We don’t yet know what the long-term harm to these two young males will be.” Dressed in a green hooded coat, Minns, who is married, showed no emotion as the judge passed his sentence. As he was cuffed and taken away by guards, the 32-year-old blew a kiss in the direction of his mother. Speaking outside the court, Detective Constable Trevor Strike, who led the investigation into Minns, said: “We are happy to put away a predatory paedophile. “I would like to compliment the bravery of the victims in coming forward. “Any allegation made to the unit is fully pursued and in this case we have managed to protect other potential victims and given the children in this case some closure in stopping their abuse. “Our goal is to protect Plymouth’s most vulnerable people – children.” DC Strike said the investigation had begun earlier this year after police were approached by one of Minns’s victims. He said through their investigation at least one other child, another young boy, had been identified as being abused by Minns. Detective Sergeant Barry Walter, who also worked on the case, added: “A historic complaint was made to the Plymouth Child Abuse Investigation Team regarding Minns. “An investigation identified another child who was currently being abused. “During the course of the enquiry a number of images, including those of the abuse, were recovered and found to have been distributed on social networking sites.” Minns was also ordered by the judge to attend the Thames Valley Sex Offenders programme.