Oberhaslach Paedophile Paul Ricketts has been incarcerated for nearly three years after being convicted of creating, disseminating, and possessing photographs of child sexual exploitation.
Paul Ricketts, 58, of Rue Du Capitaine Lahner, Oberhaslach, France, was sentenced to 42 months on 30 August at Chichester Crown Court after pleading guilty to: Creating indecent images of children (Category A); Creating indecent images of children (Category B); Creating indecent images of children (Category C); Distributing indecent images of children (Category C); and possessing extreme pornography.
Paul Ricketts was issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a lifetime registration on the Sex Offenders Register.
On 21 July 2022, Paul Ricketts was apprehended after a report indicated that he was photographing a 17-year-old girl aboard a train. In the course of investigating this offence, Ricketts’ device was confiscated, revealing photographs of girls stored on his camera. Upon assessment, 69 photos were classified as Category C Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). He was later indicted for this offence and pleaded not guilty.
This initiated additional enquiries into Paul Ricketts’ equipment and internet behaviour, which showed Ricketts utilising international online cloud storage for photographs. The inquiry was subsequently undertaken by the Major Investigation Team of the British Transport Police, with assistance from the Cyber Crime unit.
Paul Ricketts’ devices and online storage account revealed thousands of CSAM, with over 20,000 images and videos identified, ranging between Category A, Category B, and Category C. There were also images of extreme pornography including animals.
Investigators also uncovered evidence that Paul Ricketts had distributed some of this illegal material. Paul Ricketts was further charged with these offences as a result and, on 23 May 2024, appeared at Guildford Crown Court to enter a plea. He pled guilty to all charges and changed his plea to guilty from the original charge.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Saunders said: “This has been an extensive investigation, including working with international agencies to determine the scale of Paul Ricketts’ disgusting actions. The detectives in this case have worked tirelessly to investigate to ensure Paul Ricketts was brought justice and to safeguard children from further harm at his hands.
“Paul Ricketts is a disturbing predator who put his and other’s sexual gratification above the safety and wellbeing of innocent children. The true measure of the impact of his actions is hard to quantify, but I hope there is some reassurance that he has already spent time in jail and will continue to do so as a result of his actions. We have also worked to ensure that he has strict restrictions upon release to ensure he cannot offend again. Any breach of these restrictions will likely send him back to prison.”
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