Stuart Pettifer, a Sandown Paedophile guest house proprietor (The Fernside Guest House) on the Isle of Wight and a former coastguard volunteer, was set free to pursue his grave sexual interest in minors
Stuart Pettifer was apprehended for exchanging photographs of children with other paedophiles.
Stuart Pettifer, residing on Station Avenue in Sandown, appeared before a judge at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Tuesday, September 17.
During a prior hearing in July, the 57-year-old acknowledged three charges of producing an obscene image of a minor, occurring between November 7 and November 18, 2022.
Among the photographs confiscated by the authorities from Stuart Pettifer, 14 were categorised as Category A, the most severe classification, which includes baby rape, child rape, incest, torture, and child murder.
Police also found 12 Category B images and 23 Category C images.
Stuart Pettifer also admitted to distributing an indecent photograph of a child, namely one category C image, on December 2, 2022.
Prosecutor Alexandra Bull said police attended The Fernside Guest House – Stuart Pettifer and his wife’s business – and an iPhone was seized.
She said the Kik messenger app was on the mobile, the associated account was in many chat rooms, and Stuart Pettifer shared an image of a girl in a bikini with other users.
Ms Bull told the court that the users discussed trading images, that the ages of the children on the device ranged from five to 14, and that the mobile history contained deliberate searches for pre-teens.
Leigh Hart, defending, said it was the first time Stuart Pettifer had been caught, and she highlighted numerous character references.
She said he fell down a black hole during a low point in his marriage, and boredom and frustration over a lack of intimacy led him astray to view people raping and killing babies.
The court heard curiosity got the better of him, and he was embarrassed and ashamed to be where he is.
Ms Hart said Stuart Pettifer was motivated to change and rehabilitate himself, describing him as a loving family man, not a baby raper.
Stuart Pettifer, whose search terms indicated a sexual interest in young girls, was gifted an eight-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, to include 45 rehabilitation days and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Stuart Pettifer was also made subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must pay costs of £150.
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