MARTIN LEONARD FROM BILLERICAY AND OXFORD JAILED FOR PERVERTED ACTS INVOLVING CHILDREN IN PITSEA

In a disturbing case that has shocked communities across Essex and Oxfordshire, Martin Leonard, a known sex offender, has been sentenced to prison for his heinous actions involving an eight-year-old girl in Pitsea. The incident occurred on October 4 of the previous year, when Leonard approached the young girl while she was playing with her older brother in the streets of Pitsea.

According to court reports, Leonard, who was 24 at the time, engaged the child in conversation and asked if she wanted to see something on his mobile phone. When the girl looked at the device, she immediately recognized the image as being inappropriate or “rude,” as she later described to police. Alarmed and distressed by what she saw, the girl shouted for help, calling out to her 12-year-old brother. The situation escalated as Leonard quickly drove away from the scene in a car, but a vigilant passer-by noticed the suspicious activity and managed to record the vehicle’s registration number.

Law enforcement authorities were promptly alerted, and Leonard was arrested shortly thereafter. It was revealed that at the time of the incident, Leonard was subject to a strict sexual offences prevention order, which explicitly prohibited him from being in contact with or approaching anyone under the age of 18. This order was not his first encounter with the law; it was issued as part of a sentence for possessing an extensive collection of child pornography, including thousands of indecent images, some of the most serious category. Leonard’s previous convictions and possession of such material had already marked him as a significant risk to children.

During the court proceedings, Leonard, who had previously resided at Upland Close in Billericay but was now living on St Clements Street in Oxford, admitted to causing a child under 13 to view an image depicting sexual activity. He also pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his sex offender prevention order. The case was heard at Chelmsford Crown Court, where Judge Christopher Ball QC delivered a stern sentence. Leonard was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and was ordered to be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life. Additionally, the court imposed an indefinite new sex prevention order to further restrict his movements and contact with minors.

The judge did not hold back in his assessment, stating that Leonard was heading towards becoming a “committed, active paedophile,” highlighting the severity of his criminal behavior and the ongoing risk he posed to society. The original sex prevention order had been issued by Basildon Crown Court after Leonard was found with a staggering 6,366 indecent images and short videos of children as young as 18 months old, underscoring the extent of his criminal activities and the danger he represented to vulnerable children.