RELEASED
A Stowmarket paedophile who subjected two nine-year-old girls to a calculated campaign of online grooming, sent them explicit images of himself, and suggested meeting up for sex was sentenced to six years’ custody with an extended licence period at Ipswich Crown Court.
Dylan Armstrong-Bell, of Takers Lane, Stowmarket, Suffolk, appeared in the dock at Ipswich Crown Court having admitted eight serious child sexual offences committed when he was 21 years old.
Prosecutor Gavin Pottinger outlined to the court that the offending came to light after the parents of one of the nine-year-old victims discovered “relentless” messages and explicit images sent by Armstrong-Bell on their daughter’s mobile telephone. The messages included Armstrong-Bell calling the child “sexy” and repeatedly asking her to send explicit photographs of herself.
Further examination revealed naked photographs of Armstrong-Bell alongside videos of him performing sexual acts. One of the images showed Armstrong-Bell inside his work van, enabling the victim’s father to identify his workplace and alert Suffolk Constabulary. The court also heard that Armstrong-Bell had suggested that he and the children should meet up to have sex.
Armstrong-Bell pleaded guilty to an eight-count indictment comprising:
Two counts of sexual communication with a child
One count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity
One count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
Two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act
Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child
Passing sentence at Ipswich Crown Court, Judge Recorder Graham Hutson condemned Armstrong-Bell as a danger to children and accused him of deliberately depriving the two young girls of part of their childhoods:
“You deliberately targeted these two girls and slowly, bit by bit, you groomed them into sending you images and caused them to view images of you. You knew what you were doing and you were developing a relationship with both of the girls which would have continued had the messages not been discovered.”
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, both child victims in this case are protected by mandatory, lifelong statutory anonymity. Any publication, broadcast, or public dissemination of information capable of leading to their identification is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Recorder Hutson imposed an extended custodial sentence of six years’ imprisonment plus an extended licence period for the protection of the public, ordering that Armstrong-Bell serve at least two-thirds of his custodial term before being eligible for Parole Board consideration.
In addition, the judge placed Armstrong-Bell under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) until further order and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register. Upon any release from custody, offenders subject to extended sentences and Sexual Harm Prevention Orders remain under strict statutory supervision, licence conditions, and Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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