PLYMOUTH MAN JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE AND ASSAULTING EX-PARTNER
A man has been jailed for assaulting his former partner and being found in possession of indecent images of children which a judge said demonstrated his "perverted and repulsive interest in children as sex objects".Donovan Stevenson, aged 37 and from Renaissance Gardens, Plymouth, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to a number of offences.
Sentencing Stevenson, Judge Robert Linford noted that when Stevenson's phone was examined by police, two indecent images of children of category A - depicting the most extreme images - were found.
He said the images showed the rape of a child "aged somewhere between four and six".
He said that the images were not computer generated, stating that these were images of "real children being savagely abused so that people can get sexual gratification from it." He told Stevenson: "If it were not for people like you prepared to watch this material there would not be people doing it and recording it.
It repulses right-minded members of the public." The court heard the images were reportedly made in 2019.
Stevenson denied the offences when interviewed by police and he was released under investigation in 2020.
However, Judge Linford pointed out that Stevenson went on to assault and harass a named woman in 2023 while still under investigation for the indecent images of children offences and while he was subject of a suspended sentence.
The court heard Stevenson started a relationship with his victim in 2020, but that he became "increasingly aggressive" over time and in January 2023 attacked her at a Plymouth property following an argument about "what was or was not on a mobile telephone".
She fell forwards whereupon Stevenson grabbed her hair and "repeatedly" banged her head on the floor.
He then threw her around the room despite her begging him to stop.
As she cried, Stevenson said he would kill her and the baby.
On January 30 he strangled her, squeezing her hard.
Judge Linford told Stevenson "she thought she was going to die".
A few days later he was violent towards her again, again throwing a phone at her and leaving her with bruises.
Judge Linford highlighted how Stevenson harassed the woman, with repeated threats of violence, threats to smash up her home, referred to her as "a dirty s**g" and threatening her by telling her she would lose her children.
He went on to send messages to her to try to persuade her to withdraw her police statement against him.
The court heard that during the course of another trial on a matter for which he was found not guilty, he absconded twice.
Judge Linford noted that Stevenson pleaded guilty to the offences for which he was today being sentenced to, but only during the trial.
He said Stevenson had "deliberately and cynically manipulated the court system" - saying he had put off pleading guilty to the charges for "as long as was humanly possible".
He said Stevenson now wanted him to take into consideration a number of offences of possession of indecent images of children being abused.
Again, Judge Linford noted that Stevenson was in possession of the images while on bail for other alleged offences.
He said the images demonstrated Stevenson's "perverted and repulsive interest in children as sex objects".
Judge Linford added: "The children depicted in those images were possibly as young as two - and they were being raped." He said Stevenson had a "long and appalling" list of previous offences, including battery, assault, actual bodily harm, wounding, possession of knives, sending offensive communications, theft from a dwelling.
Taking into account the mitigating and aggravating factors presented, Judge Linford said he would hand sentences of 16 months and 10 months to run concurrently for the category A and B possession of indecent images of children offences.
For the first count of actual bodily harm he would serve a 21 month sentence and for the second count of actual bodily harm a 10 month sentence, also to run concurrently.
For the offence of strangulation he would receive a 23 month sentence, but to run consecutive to the other sentences.
For the harassment offence he would get six months to run concurrently.
Judge Linford said he would activate a suspended sentence order, jailing him for 15 months.
Finally, for twice absconding from the court, he would be handed 14 days for each, resulting in a total sentence of six years, three months and 28 days.
Stevenson was also made subject of a restraining order not to contact the woman he assaulted for 10 years.
He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.
