A “prolific” sex offender has been jailed for 16 years for “appalling” sexual abuse inflicted by him and his partner on a young boy.<\/p>\n
James Hedges, 36, from Basingstoke, and Lauren O’Hanlon, 28, committed the offences at an address in Ash, Surrey, in November 2017, police said.<\/p>\n
The pair were each found guilty of five counts of sexual assault after a trial at Winchester Crown Court.<\/p>\n
O’Hanlon, of no fixed address, was jailed for eight years.<\/p>\n
The offences came to light when police found images of the abuse on a phone which Hedges was using in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.<\/p>\n
Det Con Dan Lucas said: “On examination of his phone we found evidence of the appalling abuse that both Hedges and O’Hanlon had inflicted on this child.<\/p>\n
“The phone also contained more than a thousand other indecent images of children.<\/p>\n
“Hedges in particular is a prolific offender, having been convicted four times previously for making and distributing indecent images of children.”<\/p>\n
Hedges, of Cumberland Avenue, was also found guilty of 10 counts of making and distributing indecent images as well as breaching the order.<\/p>\n
O’Hanlon was convicted of six counts of making and distributing indecent images.<\/p>\n
The couple were placed on the sex offenders register for life.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"