FRANK TURNER FROM GOOLE INVOLVED IN CHILD SEX OFFENSES AND DISTRIBUTION OF INDECENT IMAGES

In August 2023, Frank Turner, a 73-year-old former Royal Marine from Tennyson Street, Goole, faced serious charges related to online sexual misconduct and breaches of court orders designed to prevent such behavior. Turner admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and violating a sexual harm prevention order, with these actions occurring between November 29 and January 16.

The case was brought to light after undercover police officers created an online profile of a fictitious 13-year-old girl. Turner initiated contact with this fake profile, and the exchanges quickly turned highly sexualized. Despite being told that the girl was only 13, Turner continued the conversations, asking invasive questions about her sexual experiences, making explicit suggestions, and requesting explicit images of her. He claimed that he only asked for such photographs to verify her age, asserting that if she was under 18, he would cease communication. Turner also told the girl not to mention her age in their messages, which indicated an attempt to conceal her true age.

During the exchanges, Turner asked the decoy if she had been practicing what he had supposedly taught her, further demonstrating grooming behavior. Police later found material linking him to these conversations, including naked photographs of himself. Turner was arrested, and during police interviews, he insisted he had no sexual interest in children. He claimed that his requests for photographs were solely to confirm her age and that the conversations were comparable to discussions in school lessons. Turner also suggested that he was gathering evidence to present to the police, framing his actions as part of a fantasy.

It was revealed that Turner had a prior conviction from 2017 for distributing hundreds of indecent images of children, including 132 in the most severe category, and possessing extreme pornography involving bestiality. He had served a 20-month prison sentence and was subject to a sexual harm prevention order. During that earlier case, it was disclosed that Turner had shared images of children as young as two years old, highlighting the serious risk of harm he posed.

Judge Kate Rayfield addressed the court, noting that Turner was aware from the outset that the girl was only 13 but chose to ignore this information. She pointed out that Turner engaged her in sexual conversations, asking about her sexual experiences and activities, despite being explicitly told her age. The court emphasized that Turner’s breach of the existing sexual harm prevention order in 2017 was deliberate and constituted a significant violation, with some risk of serious harm involved.

As a result of these offenses, Turner was sentenced to four years and one month in prison. Additionally, he was subjected to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

Earlier, in May 2017, Turner’s history of offending was further detailed. Police had seized his computer equipment from his home in Tennyson Street, Goole, after receiving intelligence about his activities. An investigation uncovered hundreds of images and videos depicting child abuse, including 132 in the most serious category, which involved rape and torture. Turner admitted to sharing some of these images and claimed he was lonely and in need of a girlfriend. Despite this, the court rejected his claims of lack of sexual interest in children, and he was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for making, distributing, and possessing indecent images, including extreme pornography involving animals.

In April 2017, Turner faced additional charges for possessing and distributing a large number of indecent images of children. He pleaded guilty to multiple counts involving thousands of images, including 135 in the most severe category. He also admitted to possessing extreme pornography involving a dog. The court was informed that all these offenses occurred on or before January 26 of that year. Turner had no relevant prior convictions since 1976, and his defense requested a pre-sentence report. He was released on conditional bail and scheduled for sentencing on May 5, with the possibility of imprisonment due to the gravity of his crimes.