In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Donald Styles, then 61, of Oak Place, Newton Abbot, Devon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Exeter Crown Court. Styles, a former art student, was caught following a National Crime Agency investigation after he attempted to import a 3ft child sex doll from China. The investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police subsequently uncovered a vile collection of 149 child abuse films and images at his home, including horrific depictions of child rape.
The court heard horrendous details regarding Styles’ attempts to justify his actions. He callously claimed the doll, which featured realistic sex organs, was intended for a “university art project” for a master’s degree application. However, Judge David Evans branded this story “utterly ridiculous” after inquiries with Plymouth University revealed no such application had been made. The prosecution reported that among the sickening material was a video Styles had personally produced of a naked five-year-old child.
During the raid on his home in Newton Abbot, Devon, officers found the vicious material stored on CD-ROMs. Although Styles initially attempted to downplay the find as “normal naughty nude pictures,” forensic analysis confirmed that 72 of the files were in the most serious category, depicting the rape of children. The judge emphasised that the serious nature of importing a child sex doll, combined with the production of indecent material, meant that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate for such depraved behaviour.
As a result of his convictions for producing and possessing indecent images of children, Donald Styles was jailed for 18 months. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and was made subject to strict restrictions, including being prohibited from contacting children and having his internet activity monitored. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Devon and Cornwall Police. Any breach of his orders or further predatory behaviour in Newton Abbot or the wider Devon area will result in his immediate arrest and return to prison.
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