Paedophilia expert jailed for systematic sexual abuse of girls

A paedophilia expert who lectured police and criminal prosecutors on how to protect children was jailed for seven years yesterday for subjecting three girls, aged nine to 13, to "systematic sexual abuse".

Stephen King, 54, lived a double life, recommending appropriate sentences for paedophiles while carrying out sexual offences against the three girls. He had sex with one girl, aged 10, Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court in London was told yesterday. King, of Herne Hill, south London, pleaded guilty to 21 counts, including sex with a girl under 13 years, 10 counts of indecent assault, six charges of indecency with a child and four counts of taking indecent photographs of a child.

Judge Fabyan Evans, passing sentence, said King had abused his position as a self-professed expert on child abuse.

Peter Zinner, for the prosecution, told the court that King had portrayed himself as an expert in child protection and had conveyed his "expertise" to the Crown Prosecution Service, Metropolitan Police and other relevant agencies.

Recommendations made by King in 2002 to the Sentence Advisory Panel for the Court of Appeal regarding child protection were adopted by the Law Society, the Bar Council and the National Probation Service.

Mr Zinner said: "Behind that veneer of respectability there was a dark secret." He added that King had taken more than 500 indecent photographs, had kept a video showing acts of indecency with the girls and had kept a diary detailing each sexual encounter.

Mr Zinner said the three victims had been traumatised by the experience, with one of the younger girls having attempted suicide. The eldest felt guilty because she thought she should have protected the younger two. At times during the three years in which the assaults took place, two of the girls were involved in sexual acts at the same time.

Mr Zinner said: "The defendant, with his self-pronounced expertise in child protection issues when he embarked on the series of abuse, must have known that such offences would be harmful to his victims."

Investigation into King began in July, but police officers arrived at his home on suspicion of benefit fraud. While at the property, one officer noted pornographic material and had the house searched. Police discovered that King had been convicted at Tower Bridge magistrates' court in 1989 - under a different name - of gross indecency, as well as making indecent material, and was sentenced to six months in jail.

King was also investigated in 1999 on suspicion of indecent assault against the three girls involved in this case, but not enough evidence was found to prosecute. Police officers found King's version of the investigation in the diary and a description of "how he got away with it in 1999", said Mr Zinner.

William Nash, for the defence, said it was important to note that there was no evidence of coercion of the three girls. He said that, although King recorded the video, he did not have the means to play it and had not viewed the tape since it was shot. Mr Nash said King was fully remorseful and hoped to be able to apologise to the girls one day.

The judge condemned King's actions, saying: "It was depraved, corrupt and persistent behaviour on vulnerable young girls. You took advantage of three of them, one with learning difficulties."

A spokeswoman for the Sentencing Advisory Panel said that King was listed on a 2002 publication which was later adopted by the Court of Appeal. But she said King had not been consulted in any professional capacity by the panel. He was one of 39 people who responded to the document as part of a public consultation exercise.