A man said to have had an obsession with the ‘perfection’ of children’s bodies – and with images of teenagers in nappies – downloaded almost 300 indecent images of children while he was subject to an order for similar offences.
And Simon King, who has previously been involved with a children’s activity centre in Coventry, has heard his latest offences pass the custody threshold ‘by a considerable margin.’
King (52) of Westmorland Road, Coventry, a former IT company employee, has pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to two charges of making indecent images of children.
He also admitted being in breach of a sexual offences prevention order imposed at the court for three similar offences in 2015, when he had been given a three-year community order and ordered to take part in a sex offender treatment programme.
When he first entered his pleas, the case was adjourned after a judge read he was the sole carer for his elderly father, who it was said would have to go into care if he was jailed.
Judge Andrew Lockhart QC said he had been handed a letter setting that out, which ‘gives me cause for concern.’
“But he is in breach of a sexual offences prevention order passed at this court, and has committed further offences, and sought to get a police officer into trouble when arrested.
“It passes the custody threshold, at first blush, by a considerable margin,” he commented.
Judge Lockhart adjourned the case for Social Services to carry out ‘a full assessment’ on King’s father and to outline what they could put in place to assist him if King was in custody.
But at the resumed hearing David Murray, defending, said: “He says he’s set up private health care, but that is dependent on access being obtained to the address, which would require a key-coded lock.”
He said King was waiting for an indication from Social Services of what key pad and what panic alarm were appropriate, so neither has yet been fitted.
So Deputy Judge Richard Griffith-Jones adjourned the case again for those issues to be resolved, and King was granted bail.
King has admitted downloading 100 indecent photographs of children in category B, showing them involved in non-penetrative sexual activity, and 198 category C images of children in naked or indecent poses.
The sexual offences prevention order, together with an order to register as a sex offender, had been made in June 2015 after he had admitted three charges of making indecent images of children and one of possessing extreme pornography.
At that time the court heard King had an obsession with the ‘perfection’ of young children’s bodies – and with images of teenagers in nappies.
His fetish came to light after a work colleague found a micro card on the floor and looked at the contents to try to identify the owner – and he reported what he saw, which led to King’s arrest.
The micro card contained fetish literature of people in nappies and images which included some of ‘young children engaged in various activities in some sort of adventure playground.’
And according to King’s own on-line profile he had been chairman of Wyken Adventure Centre, which offered activities for children and young people, between 1999 and 2012.
There was also some literature about teens and upwards wearing nappies, as well as images of young boys in nappies.
On his arrest at his home, his elderly father asked him: “Are they from WAC?” And prosecutor Ian Ball said King’s response was: “Some are, and some are downloaded.”
Various items of computer equipment was seized, and on them were found more than 4,000 indecent images of children, some of them naked and many of them aged nine or older in nappies.
King told the police he had a sexual interest in young boys aged between eight and 13, but stressed he would ‘never do anything to them’ and liked them for their ‘purity.’
And in a second interview he said he did not get sexual gratification, but ‘longed for eternal youth’ and wished he looked like the youngsters in the images.
On that occasion Mr Murray had also told the court that King was effectively the only carer for his elderly father.
And Recorder Kevin Hegarty QC had said the best way of dealing with him was to pass a three-year community order.
