RICHARD TURNER FROM CATTARICK AND LEEDS JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES AND INDECENT IMAGES

In May 2021, Richard Turner, a man with a disturbing history of child sex offences, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being convicted of multiple serious crimes involving children. Turner, aged 48, who was residing in Catterick Garrison at the time of his latest offences, had a prior conviction and was already serving a nine-and-a-half-year sentence for possessing over 100,000 indecent images of children and sexually assaulting three young girls. His latest crimes, which came to light during police investigations, involved the sexual assault of a toddler and the download of an enormous collection of indecent images.

Turner was scheduled to face trial at Teesside Crown Court on a charge of sexually assaulting a young girl, but before the trial commenced, he admitted to the offence. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of sexual assaulting a child. However, he denied two other allegations, which involved sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13 and failing to disclose the password to a hard drive containing illicit material. The prosecution accepted his pleas, and the court recorded not guilty verdicts on those two charges.

The court heard that Turner, a former soldier who served 20 years in the military, had downloaded at least 46,436 indecent images and videos of children between August 2016 and April 2018. Among these were 255 images classified as Category A, indicating the most severe form of child abuse material. These images and videos were discovered on a device found at his residence in Catterick, during police searches. Prosecutor Paul Newcombe detailed that the collection was extensive and deeply disturbing.

The sexual assault on the toddler occurred sometime between April 2016 and May 2017, but the offence was only uncovered during police questioning in early 2018. The victim’s mother reported that her daughter now suffers from severe anxiety as a result of the trauma. Turner’s criminal activities extended beyond this incident, as he was already serving time for previous offences committed in Leeds, which included sexual assaults on three young girls and the possession of over 100,000 indecent images. His first arrest in 2018 revealed further disturbing evidence, including a child-like prosthetic sex doll found at his home in Catterick Garrison, along with large collections of child abuse images stored on his digital devices.

Turner’s background as a military man was marked by injury; he left the army after suffering serious injuries when a Land Rover he was traveling in was hit by a roadside bomb during a tour of duty in Afghanistan. By the time of his sentencing in 2019, Turner had moved to Leeds. His criminal record includes a conviction for possessing a vast number of child abuse images, with police discovering a rucksack containing children’s underwear and the prosthetic doll during searches.

Judge Howard Crowson condemned Turner’s latest actions, describing the sexual assault on the toddler as “appalling.” The judge emphasized the long-term impact on the young victim, stating, “She (now) distrusts all men except her father. She was particularly vulnerable by reason of her (extremely young age). This has had a very long-term effect upon (her).” Turner was sentenced to an additional two-and-a-half years in prison, which will run consecutively to his existing sentence. The judge also confirmed that Turner would remain subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, initially imposed in 2019, to protect the public from future offences.

Overall, Turner’s criminal activities reveal a disturbing pattern of child exploitation and abuse, spanning several years and involving multiple victims. His case underscores the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risks he poses to society.