MICHAEL SMITH FROM HAYES JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES INVOLVING REPREHENSIBLE MATERIAL

On 3 July 2008, a man named Michael Smith, aged 55 and residing on Church Road in Hayes, was sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison for multiple charges related to sexual activity with minors. Smith, who is identified as a paedophile collector of some of the most disturbing material a police officer has encountered, was apprehended earlier in January after police stopped his vehicle due to lack of insurance and discovered a 15-year-old girl inside.

The girl later revealed to authorities that Smith, a labourer by occupation, had coerced her into sexual acts on more than one occasion. A subsequent search of Smith’s home resulted in the seizure of numerous computers and storage devices. The investigation, carried out by the Metropolitan Police’s High Tech Crime Unit, found approximately 20,000 indecent images of children on his devices, including numerous films. Detective Sergeant John Price, who has two decades of police experience, described the material as 'indescribable.'

DS John Price from Hillingdon Police, who led the Sapphire Unit at the time, stated: 'After the first search, nothing was found. But I know how these people work and wanted the property searched again. That was when we found all the material. Almost 10,000 of the images were of young girls from a web camera.' He further emphasized the severity of the discovery, saying, 'I have been a police officer for 20 years and this was some of the worst paedophile material I have ever seen.'

The investigation revealed that Smith had been grooming girls on the internet since he moved from Ireland in 2004. Under the alias Ben Tyler, he falsely claimed to be 18 years old and used popular teenage chat rooms such as Bebo, Habbo, and MSN to communicate with and manipulate young girls, ultimately grooming them.

Although Smith has been convicted, DS Price highlighted concerns that there may be additional victims yet to come forward. He stated, 'We know he has met at least another girl but we do not know who she is. He has been grooming other girls and we have evidence of that.' He also expressed the belief that Smith's predatory activities extend beyond the Hillingdon area, saying, 'I am also convinced he has victims all over the place, not just in Hillingdon.'

DS Price explained how Smith exploited the internet to target vulnerable children, noting, 'He used the internet as a tool to hand-pick his young unsuspecting victims. They believed they could trust Smith and never thought for one minute they would be speaking to a predatory paedophile that would go on to violate their trust.'

He urged other potential victims to come forward, requesting they contact the West Drayton Sapphire Unit at 0208 246 1583, assuring them that their disclosures would be kept strictly confidential.

Smith is now behind bars to protect the public, with his sentence requiring him to serve at least three years before parole eligibility. Additionally, he is mandated to register as a sex offender for life.