Two men, Stephen Ireland and David Sutton, convicted of many child sex offences earlier this year are both confronting jail sentences during a hearing at Guildford Crown Court today (30 June).
Stephen Ireland, 40, (DOB: 8/3/1984) from Addlestone, received a 24-year prison sentence, with an additional six years on extended licence, after being convicted of the rape of a child under 13, three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and the sexual assault of a child under 13, along with:
- Conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child;
- Arranging commission of a child sex offence;
- Six counts of making indecent photographs of children;
- Four counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child;
- Possession of prohibited images of children;
- Possession of an extreme pornographic image.
David Sutton, 27, (DOB: 10/10/1997), from Addlestone, was sentenced to four and half years (54 months) in prison after being found guilty of three counts of making indecent photographs of children and one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image.
Stephen Ireland and David Sutton were also found guilty of one count of voyeurism and one count of perverting the course of justice.
Following the trial, the jury found Stephen Ireland and David Sutton not guilty of the conspiracy offences with which they had also been charged, including three counts of arranging a child sexual offence, five counts of conspiracy to sexually assault a child, one count of conspiracy to kidnap a child and one count one count of conspiracy to administer a substance with intent.
Stephen Ireland and David Sutton had already pleaded guilty to a number of offences at the start of the trial. Stephen Ireland pleaded guilty to possessing 274 prohibited images of children and possessing an extreme pornographic image, while David Sutton pleaded guilty to distributing a category A indecent photograph of a child, distributing three category B indecent photographs of a child and possessing 64 prohibited images of children.
The four-week trial followed an extensive investigation by Surrey Police’s Complex Abuse Unit, which began following the report of the rape of a 12-year-old boy, which led to Ireland being arrested in April 2024.
A search of a phone hidden in his flat revealed indecent images of children.
Stephen Ireland and David Sutton were both arrested on 11 June 2024 for distribution and possession of indecent images of children.
On 14 August 2024, charges were authorised for 44 offences (later increased to 45), relating to Stephen Ireland and David Sutton, and spanning the period between August 2022 and July 2024.
Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent Debbie White, Head of Surrey Police’s Public Protection Command, said: “Stephen Ireland was a sexual predator who targeted a young boy and took advantage of his age and vulnerability for his own gratification. I would like to pay tribute to the victim in this case for their courage in coming forward and for giving evidence. I hope the fact that both Stephen Ireland and David Sutton have been given prison sentences can help them start to re-build their life.
“As well as Stephen Ireland and David Sutton demonstrating an extreme sexual interest in children, they then tried to cover up their offending by intentionally deleting material from their phones once they became aware of the police investigation and following their arrests.
“This has been an extremely difficult and complex investigation, and I would like to thank all those involved for their hard work and dedication. I hope the sentences handed down today send a clear message to any victim of a sexual offence, that you will be listened to, you will be supported, and we will investigate such crimes thoroughly.”
Claire Gallagher, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “It is clear that both Stephen Ireland and David Sutton had a perverted and dangerous interest in children.
“Child sexual abuse is a devastating crime which can have a lifelong impact on victims. I would like to offer my deepest thanks to the victims who supported the prosecution and helped the CPS and Surrey Police bring these offenders to justice.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.