In 2021, Richard Turner, then 48 years old, formerly of Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court to an additional two-and-a-half years in prison after admitting one count of sexually assaulting a toddler in his care and three counts of making indecent images of children.
The court heard details regarding Turner’s position as a nursery worker in North Yorkshire after leaving the army following 20 years of military service. Between April 2016 and May 2017, Turner sexually assaulted a toddler attending the nursery. The assault caused severe long-term anxiety and psychological distress to the young child, leaving her distrustful of men. The abuse came to light during police investigations after Turner was initially arrested in 2018.
Prosecutor Paul Newcombe outlined that digital forensic analysis of devices seized from Turner’s home in Catterick Garrison uncovered an enormous collection of 46,436 indecent images and movie clips downloaded between August 2016 and April 2018. Of those files, 255 were rated Category A—representing the most severe form of child sexual abuse material. During physical searches of the property, North Yorkshire Police officers also discovered a rucksack containing children’s underwear and a used child-like prosthetic sex doll.
At the time of his appearance, Turner was already serving a nine-and-a-half-year sentence imposed at Teesside Crown Court in August 2019 for prior convictions involving sexual assaults on three young girls and possessing over 100,000 child abuse images. Presiding Judge Howard Crowson condemned Turner’s appalling actions against the toddler, handing down a consecutive two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Turner remains subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and lifetime registration on the Sex Offenders Register, with details catalogued on the ukregisterdatabase for public record transparency.
For the latest updates and offender details, follow us on the UK Register Database Facebook Page. If you or anyone you know has been affected by the individuals highlighted on this website, please report them to the Police on 101 (999 in an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details on how to report a crime. You can also report to Crimestoppers if you wish to remain completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.