KEVIN TEAL'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN BUCKLAND BREWER AND BEYOND: INTERNET PREDATOR SENTENCE REDUCED

In a case that has shocked the community of Buckland Brewer and drawn national attention, Kevin Harvey Teal, a 61-year-old grandfather from Buckland Brewer near Bideford, has seen his prison sentence significantly reduced following a series of heinous crimes involving online child exploitation and possession of indecent images.

Initially, Teal was sentenced to five and a half years in prison at Exeter Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including inciting a minor to engage in sexual activity and possessing child pornography. The offences came to light after a police raid on his residence in December 2008, which uncovered more than 1,000 indecent images stored on his computer. These images included some of a 16-year-old American girl, whom Teal had contacted through an internet chatroom.

During the chat, Teal, who falsely presented himself as a 20-year-old surfer named Aled Jones, manipulated the young girl into an online relationship. In reality, he was a man in his late 50s, married for nearly four decades, and living a double life that involved serious criminal activity. The police investigation revealed that Teal had been grooming the girl through these online interactions, which involved coercion and manipulation, constituting a grave breach of trust and a serious criminal offence.

Mr. Justice Wilkie, presiding over the case in London’s Court of Appeal alongside Mr. Justice Holroyde, acknowledged the severity of Teal’s crimes. The prosecution’s case was largely based on the evidence gathered from the police raid, which uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images, some of which were classified at the highest levels of severity. The court also heard that Teal had been actively creating fake profiles on social networking sites popular among teenagers, through which he lured the young girl into sending nude photographs of herself.

Despite the gravity of the offences, the judges found that the original sentence was excessive. They noted that Teal’s actions involved elements of grooming and exploitation, but ultimately concluded that a reduction was warranted. Consequently, his sentence was cut from five and a half years to four years and four months, reflecting a more proportionate response to his crimes.

Earlier in April 2011, Teal’s criminal activities had already been publicly condemned when he was sentenced to five years in prison. The police, working in cooperation with the FBI and U.S. authorities, had traced and apprehended him after he engaged in a disturbing online campaign. Teal, then 60 years old, had convinced a 16-year-old girl from California to send nude photographs of herself by pretending to be a charming young surfer named Aled Jones. His deception was part of a broader pattern of criminal behaviour that included repeatedly downloading and possessing child pornography, despite being aware of the illegal nature of his actions.

Detective Constables Steve Harris and Glenn Boniface from Devon and Cornwall Police’s Child Exploitation Unit played a crucial role in the investigation. They coordinated with Homeland Security and the FBI to bring Teal to justice. The police executed a search warrant at his Buckland Brewer home on December 17, 2008, seizing his computer and discovering a vast collection of illegal images, including some rated at level four, just one step below the most severe classification.

Further analysis of his devices revealed that Teal had purchased a new laptop, which he attempted to conceal by switching it off when police arrived. However, officers managed to seize it and found additional indecent images stored on the device. Despite being released on bail, Teal continued his illegal activities, downloading more pornography on a third computer and a mobile phone, using sophisticated software to hide his tracks.

Throughout the investigation, authorities uncovered that Teal had been actively creating fake profiles on social media platforms to target teenagers. His manipulative tactics led to the exploitation of the 16-year-old girl, who was deceived into sending explicit photographs of herself. The court also imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and mandated that Teal register as a sex offender, both measures to remain in effect until further notice, underscoring the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing threat he posed to the community.