CALLUM EVANS FROM QUEEN CAMEL AND YEOVIL FACES JAIL AFTER REPEATED CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN SOMERSET

In a case that has shocked the community of Somerset, Callum Evans, a 21-year-old resident of Queen Camel near Yeovil, has been at the center of a series of disturbing child sex offences. Despite previous convictions and court orders, Evans continued to engage in illegal activities involving minors, prompting serious legal repercussions.

In January 2014, Bristol Crown Court sentenced Evans to a community order after he pleaded guilty to a total of 40 charges related to child sexual abuse. The judge, Graham Hume Jones, emphasized that Evans was dangerously close to receiving a custodial sentence but opted instead to impose a strict supervision regime, giving him what was described as a 'last chance' to reform. The court's decision was motivated by a desire to keep Evans under close monitoring for as long as possible, reflecting the severity of his repeated violations.

Under the terms of his three-year community order, Evans is subject to multiple restrictions designed to prevent further offending. These include an overnight tagged curfew, an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), and a ban on contacting children through social media platforms. Additionally, he is required to maintain a detailed browsing history on his computer, which must be accessible to police inspection at any time. The court's warning was clear: any breach of these conditions would result in his immediate return to court, with the likely outcome being a prison sentence.

Evans, who resides at The Glebe in Queen Camel, near Yeovil, had previously admitted to a range of serious offences, including inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, producing indecent photographs of a child, and attempting to incite a child into prostitution or pornography. Six additional charges related to child sex offences were ordered to lie on file, indicating the gravity and complexity of his criminal record.

His criminal history includes a prior three-year community order from 2011, after he was spared prison time for a series of sex charges. However, within weeks of that sentence, Evans breached the order by using a computer and mobile phone to contact teenagers, requesting explicit images and arranging meetings. His actions led to his re-arrest in September 2012. Last year, Judge Hume Jones deferred sentencing to allow Evans to complete a sex offenders' rehabilitation program, which he was reportedly responding to positively. His defense lawyer, Patrick Mason, described Evans as being 'very much on the path to full rehabilitation' and expressed hope that he was seeking employment.

In a particularly troubling episode from July 2013, Evans was involved in online grooming activities on Facebook. Despite a court ruling that refused to ban him from using the social networking site, citing concerns over social isolation, Evans returned to Facebook within weeks of his initial court appearance. He created new aliases and targeted young boys, including 13-year-olds, attempting to groom them for sexual purposes. He posed as a teenage girl to lure victims into sending explicit images, and in the process, he was found in possession of 648 sexually explicit images of children, some classified as serious grade four material.

The police investigation was triggered when the parents of a 14-year-old boy discovered sexually explicit photos on his mobile phone, which had been sent from Evans' device. This evidence led to his arrest, less than a year after he was initially permitted to remain on Facebook. His earlier court appearance in September 2011 involved admitting to multiple charges, including making indecent images of a child and inciting children to participate in pornography and sexual activities.

Most recently, Evans pleaded guilty to 17 counts of inciting a child to engage in pornography and four counts of inciting a child to perform sexual acts. He also admitted to breaching his sex offenders' prevention order on three separate occasions. He was taken into custody last August and has been detained for the past month, awaiting sentencing. His case was adjourned for a week to allow further assessment of his response to ongoing treatment programs.

Throughout his legal proceedings, Evans' background was noted as coming from a 'good, middle-class working family,' which has added a layer of complexity to the case. His defense argued that he was a 'confused' young man who had lost opportunities for higher education due to his criminal behavior. The court was informed that Evans had been using Facebook from the age of 17 to contact underage boys, often posing as a girl to solicit explicit images. Despite previous rulings and social media policies, he continued to re-engage with online platforms, demonstrating a pattern of behavior that authorities are determined to curb.

Facebook has stated that their rules prohibit convicted sex offenders from using the platform, and the case has raised questions about online safety and the effectiveness of social media restrictions for offenders. As Evans awaits his final sentencing, the case remains a stark reminder of the ongoing dangers posed by individuals who exploit digital platforms to target vulnerable minors.