CHRISTOPHER MONKMAN SENTENCED IN GLOUCESTER FOR SIX YEARS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

In April 2010, Christopher Monkman, a lorry driver formerly residing in Stonehouse, was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a girl over a period of six years. Gloucester Crown Court was told that the 45-year-old, who now has no fixed address, also engaged in child pornography activities, possessing indecent images of a different young girl and adult-child explicit material on his computer at the time of his arrest.

Judge William Hart sentenced Monkman to four years in prison, with an extended three-year license period upon release. Addressing him in court, the judge stated, "I regard you as an entrenched and untreated child sex offender," and added, "You committed offences which had a particularly traumatic effect on the girl and to some extent stole her childhood."

Monkman pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent assault, committed between December 1993 and January 2004. He also admitted to making indecent images of another girl and possessing child pornography in June of the previous year.

Prosecutor Kirsty Real explained that the victim's mother discovered a note written by her daughter that raised suspicions about Monkman. However, formal police reports were not made until the following year, leading to Monkman's arrest on June 5. Following his arrest, authorities searched his residence and seized his computer equipment and digital media.

During the investigation, authorities found images depicting a young girl, for whom Monkman had taken indecent photographs, as well as other illicit videos and pictures. In a folder labeled 'No No Illegal,' investigators found at least 50 images at the lowest level of severity, four at the second level, and 12 at the most serious level.

Miss Real noted, "He cited curiosity among his reasons for downloading that material." Defense lawyer Martin Steen argued that the young girl depicted in the photographs had considered the act as a game and explained that what was considered illegal today was, at the time, classified as legal due to different standards. He emphasized that the most serious crimes involved the assaults on the older girl.

Mr. Steen highlighted that Monkman’s pre-sentence report indicated he was profoundly remorseful and had shown genuine remorse by pleading guilty early on. He also stated that Monkman had already begun seeking help to understand and address his offending behavior and wished to apologize for the harm caused.

However, Judge William Hart criticized Monkman, saying, "You do not, in my judgment, accept the full extent of your culpability and you minimize it." As part of his sentence, Monkman was issued a sexual offences prevention order and ordered to register as a sex offender on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.