PAEDOPHILES PHILIP TAYLOR AND MARK SMITH JAILED IN BOURNEMOUTH

In June 2014, two paedophiles were sentenced for offences related to the possession and creation of indecent images of children at the Bournemouth Air Festival.

Philip Taylor, who was 55 and formerly based in Nottingham, received a six-month prison sentence after admitting to 20 charges involving the making and possession of indecent photographs of children in November 2013. He was among two men arrested during Bournemouth’s annual air festival in 2012 when a police community support officer (PCSO) observed him taking photographs of a young girl playing by the sea.

His co-defendant, Mark Smith, aged 54 of Chitlee Manor, Liphook, Hampshire, was found guilty of four counts of making indecent images of children, four counts of possessing such images, and violating a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) issued in 2007. Smith was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment on May 30, 2014, following a three-day trial.

Timothy Bradbury, who prosecuted during Smith’s trial, explained that both men were seen together on Bournemouth beach on August 30, 2012. When a PCSO approached, Taylor was actively taking photographs of a naked young girl.

"There was nothing to indicate that she was anything to do with him," Mr. Bradbury said. "The PCSO asked him to stop what he was doing. His camera was confiscated, and officers reviewed the images stored on it. It was clear there were multiple pictures of naked children, taken that very day."

The court heard that the PCSO then pursued Smith, who had turned and walked away while his friend was being questioned. Although Smith also had a camera, its memory card was missing, and he claimed during police interviews that he intended to photograph boats and planes at the festival.

Police later examined Smith’s home, where they found 138 indecent images of children on his laptop. These ranged from level one—depicting unclothed children—to level four, indicating more serious material. Smith denied knowledge of the images, suggesting they might have been downloaded by Taylor or his son.

Regarding Taylor’s criminal record, it was noted he previously served nine years in prison in 2000 for serious sexual offences involving children under 16. After his arrest, Taylor was interviewed twice and admitted to taking several photographs on the beach, including one of a naked girl aged about five who was with her parents.

In mitigation, his lawyer Robert Grey explained that Taylor was attempting to address his issues through the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity focused on reducing child sexual abuse.

Judge Roger Jarvis acknowledged Taylor’s “very bad record” and sentenced him to six months in prison, emphasizing the seriousness of his actions and history.