The Mold Paedophile, Michael Stewart, who engaged in the recurrent sexual assault of a young girl in North Wales and was also complicit in orchestrating the involvement of others in her abuse has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Michael Stewart, a 41-year-old individual without a permanent residence, was sentenced to imprisonment at Mould Crown Court on July 13. The court mandated that he serve a minimum of 16 years.
The co-defendant, Matthew Penny, aged 44, without a permanent address, received a 20-year jail sentence. He will be available for release on parole after serving 13 years and will then be under supervision for a further six years.
Michael Stewart confessed to the allegations of sexual assault levelled against him, whereas Penny was convicted following a trial.
During the court proceedings, Anna Pope, the prosecutor, stated that the girl, whose identity is protected, was subjected to systematic abuse by Michael Stewart starting from approximately the age of 10.
Michael Stewart would transmit many “particularly graphic and violent” films and images of the torture to others.
In addition to sexually assaulting the girl directly, Michael Stewart orchestrated her sexual exploitation by other males around North Wales under the condition that the abuse be recorded and a copy be forwarded to him.
The majority of the remaining guys involved have not yet been located; however, Penny was identified and convicted based on two encounters he had with a young woman in Conwy and Prestatyn.
During those meetings, the girl was sexually assaulted by both Michael Stewart and Matthew Penny.
Last year, the police went to Michael Stewart’s residence in Anglesey to carry out a search warrant. This was in response to reports of two “Kik” accounts, connected to his IP address, that had shared videos of child sexual abuse.
Michael Stewart was apprehended and, during his transportation to detention, claimed that he had been coerced by someone named “Rich” to distribute explicit photographs to others. He further stated that failure to comply would result in his exposure as a paedophile.
Subsequent analyses of the confiscated data from his devices revealed movies depicting numerous instances of rape and sexual abuse of the girl, along with surreptitiously recorded obscene images. Additionally, evidence indicated that he had shared this material with others.
After Matthew Penny was subsequently recognised, images of the girl were retrieved from his mobile device, while his phone number was discovered to have been stored in Stewart’s list of contacts under the name “Rich”.
Michael Stewart had a prior conviction as a sex offender for creating and sharing explicit photos of another youngster, whereas Matthew Penny had no prior criminal record.
The child expressed her belief that she had no alternative but to obey and felt “intimidated”, and refrained from reporting the mistreatment earlier due to “apprehension about the consequences” she may face.
She held the belief that she had experienced mistreatment from a group of “four or five” additional individuals, in addition to Stewart and Penny.
Michael Stewart assumed the identity of “Rich” on Instagram to directly communicate with her. He sent her messages that contained threats to denounce her to the authorities or inform her friends until she engaged in sexual conversations with him.
In addition, he employed an other fraudulent online persona, assuming the identity of an 18-year-old rugby player, to acquire further explicit photos of her. Furthermore, he utilised this persona to guide her towards engaging in sexual encounters with other individuals.
Matthew Penny was discovered when she engaged in an online communication with an undercover investigator using the alias “Rhyl Jack”.
He admitted to the officer that he had a pedophilic inclination and was currently engaging in sexual activities with an underage female.
The undercover cop and Matthew Penny agreed to meet, and it was discovered that the IP address associated with the account belonged to his wife and was registered at their location in Prestatyn.
Matthew Penny was apprehended in December 2022.
The child expressed in a statement that she had suppressed the abuse within her for a significant duration of time.
“The situation has permanently changed,” she stated, acknowledging her overwhelming remorse.
Simon Rogers, in defence of Michael Stewart, stated that this was his initial incident involving contact. Although he was evaluated as posing a significant threat to minors, he was deemed unlikely to commit any other types of offences.
He implored the court to refrain from imposing a life sentence, arguing that this is not a unique situation warranting such a severe punishment.
On behalf of Matthew Penny, Simon Killeen requested that the sentence be concise and that the court refrain from classifying him as a dangerous offender.
Judge Timothy Petts, during the sentencing, also issued a permanent restraining order, which forbids the offenders from ever making contact with the girl in the future.
In addition, they are permanently prohibited from interacting with minors or vulnerable individuals and must comply with the ongoing notification requirements of the sex offenders register.
Matthew Penny was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
Judge Petts also commended the individuals involved in the investigation that resulted in the convictions of both defendants.
He stated that this is a situation characterised by agony that is nearly impossible to put into words.
Michael Stewart, who remained seated with his head resting on a desk while in prison, was informed by Judge Petts that he had subjected the girl to an “extremely horrifying” treatment.
Judge Petts stated: “In my opinion, you have not shown any remorse, apart from acknowledging your guilty pleas.”
“You have not taken any accountability for your actions.” You have consistently asserted, a claim that I find unconvincing, that you were coerced through blackmail.
“This is a rare situation where a life sentence is completely justified as a final option.”
Judge Petts informed Matthew Penny that, although his involvement was comparatively minimal compared to Stewart’s, he nonetheless inflicted significant psychological damage on the girl.
Judge Petts stated that the absence of prior convictions had little significance compared to the magnitude of the offence committed.
He informed him: “She was already a severely harmed and psychologically distressed child when you committed the act of rape against her.”
“You have not yet proven that you are a sex offender who has a strong inclination towards children.”
“Despite the occurrences of sexual assaults in this location, you were actively seeking out potential new targets on the Internet, as proven by your interactions with the undercover officer.”
Judge Petts additionally mandated the confiscation and destruction of all seized devices carrying abusive content, while both defendants will be required to pay a statutory surcharge after their release.
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