Paedophile rapist jailed for 14 years

A sexual predator whose past violent crimes were exposed when he was caught operating a members-only website for paedophiles was jailed today for 14 years.

Delwyn Savigar, 35, established the not-for-profit internet bulletin board as a type of "community service" for up to 1,500 fellow deviants who swapped indecent images.

Samples of his DNA were taken when he arrested in September 2008 over the possession of more than 300,000 indecent photographs on his computer. That linked him with three historic sex attacks on schoolgirls in Preston, Lancashire, one of which included the rape of a 13-year-old.

His rape victim was on her way to school walking through fields in Penwortham on April 30 2002 when she was forced down an embankment and sexually assaulted. Savigar then forced her to climb a fence and raped her on grassland.

He coolly instructed her to wait five minutes before she went to lessons as he fled the scene.

Just 17 days earlier another 13-year-old girl was sat alone on a bench in a country lane in Much Hoole when she was approached from behind by Savigar who placed his arm around her neck and mouth before he attempted to rape her.

She only escaped when he was said to have been "spooked" by a passing vehicle.

In April 1999 he targeted a 16-year-old girl who walked to work through playing fields in Walton le Dale.

Savigar pushed her to the floor and placed his hand over her mouth and throat before he indecently assaulted her. His victim screamed and lied that her father was nearby as she managed to struggle free and run off.

Both the latter victims told how they thought they were going to die during their ordeals.

Sentencing at Preston Crown Court, Judge Edward Slinger said: "These offences are of the kind that every woman fears. Violent sexual assaults following stalking and in isolated areas.

"These young women have had to live with the horror for many years, remain deeply distressed and what what has happened will be with them for many years."

Addressing Savigar, he told him: "There is no doubt in my mind that you are a very dangerous man indeed."

Savigar, of Queensway, pleaded guilty to both the attempted rape and indecent assault just a day after his trial opened in January before any of his victims had to give evidence.

He entered guilty pleas at earlier hearings to the rape and the possession and the distribution of the indecent Level 1 images - at the lower end of the scale of seriousness - between 2004 and 2008.

Savigar was sentenced to six years each for the rape and the attempted rape and two years for the indecent assault, all to run consecutively.

A jail term of four months for the indecent photographs was imposed to run concurrently.

He will remain on extended licence for 10 years after his release from imprisonment.

Louise Whaites, prosecuting, said Savigar was identified as the administrator of the members' bulletin board by investigating authorities in the United States.

His computer was seized which contained the large number of images involving girls from the age of eight and upwards.

Links posted on the website site included the titles "Lolita Sex Party", "Hidden Girls", "Young Strawberry" and "Lolita Kingdom".

Miss Whaites said: "When interviewed he said that five years ago he had taken an interest in indecent images of young children and was a member of a similar bulletin board.

"That was closed down so he set up a new site.

"The site had 1,500 members at its peak and 500 at the time of his arrest."

She said the website was split into two sections with more trusted members allowed to access more explicit images.

Savigar, of Queensway, worked on the bulletin board on a daily basis and other administrators in the US assisted him on the technical side.

"The defendant did not seek financial reward but in return trusted members were expected to add to the content of the site," she said.

"He denied any attraction to children and it appeared he viewed what he did as some sort of service to the community."

It is understood that around 545 suspected paedophiles were arrested worldwide following the seizure of Savigar's computer.

Philip Curran, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to the rape and indecent images offences.

He added he changed his pleas involving the other two sex attack victims as he did not wish to put them through the ordeal of giving evidence.

Mr Curran pointed out the last of the sexual offences was eight years ago today and there had been no repeat of such serious crimes since.

"The pre-sentence report says it is possible he turned his interest to child pornography," he said. "There does not appear to be a linkage with the earlier offences.

"The length of time rather indicates that the images were not being used as a trigger to carry out attacks on young women. Quite the contrary, they could have been preventing such attacks."

He added the defendant was a man of previous good character who was ordinarily personable.

It would be no comfort to his victims, he said, but Savigar had shown himself to be a resourceful young man while in custody on remand who had taken advantage of attempts to rehabilitate himself.

The pre-sentence report said Savigar's chance of rehabilitation was "greater than other more serious sex offenders".

A separate psychiatric report considered there was a "high risk" of him committing further similar sex attacks unless there was a profound change in his underlying deviant attitude. He was said to be in a state of denial for not accepting full responsibility for the offences.

It recommended that he would need supervision for the rest of his life.