Child sexual abuse gang had its ‘tentacles round the world’

Clockwise from top left: Adam Toms; Matthew Lisk; Matt Stansfield; David Harsley; Robin Hollyson (aka Robin Fallick), Ben Harrop (aka John Denham); and Chris Knight

The sexual abuse ring preyed on the families of the youngsters they targeted, in one case grooming a mother and father before their baby was born.

Members would often travel long distances to carry out the attacks together or watch the abuse over the internet if only one had access to a victim.

Chilling online chatlogs revealed that members of the gang, who lived across the UK, would offer advice and guidance to others on drugging their young victims.

Seven men – aged between 30 and 51 and including three convicted sex offenders – were brought to justice following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

‘Shocking details’

The gang members were:

• Robin Hollyson, 30, from Bedfordshire
• Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester
• Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset
• David Harsley, 51, from Humberside
• Matthew Lisk, 32, from East Sussex
• John Denham, 49, from Wiltshire
• Matthew Stansfield, 34, from Hampshire

The shocking details of their crimes can be reported in full for the first time after Denham and Stansfield were convicted on Wednesday at Bristol Crown Court. The other five had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges they faced.

All seven face “significant” prison sentences and some could be jailed for life when they return to court on a date to be fixed.

Hollyson, who was previously known as Robin Fallick, Stansfield and Harsley are already convicted sex offenders while Denham, who changed his name from Benjamin Harrop, was a respected youth football coach.

In total, they faced more than 30 charges; including the rape of a child, conspiracy to rape a child, sexual activity with a child and administering a substance with intent against three victims – a baby, a toddler and a pre-school age child.

But investigators, speaking before today’s verdicts, said they believed there were yet more victims.

The depravity of these men appeared to know no bounds and is without doubt as vile as we have seen Graham Gardner, NCA deputy director of investigations

The gang hid behind a veil of respectability with careers and families to habitually target children under the age of five in Yorkshire, as well as both the south east and south west of England.

Police described the men as “monsters in disguise”, working together to commit some of the most “vile and depraved” child sex offences the authorities have ever seen.

The NCA, which led the investigation, said the men met after discussing their sexual interests in young children on legitimate social media and adult sex sites.

The gang was described as “incredibly skilled” at grooming victims’ families, even striking up relationships with pregnant women to abuse their babies.

‘Tentacles around the world’

Graham Gardner, deputy director of investigations at the NCA, said the ring “has got tentacles that go round the world”.

The men, who did not know each other outside of their involvement in the abuse, led respectable lives – including a married former actor and a businessman – and concealed their activities from the outside world until they were unmasked.

Gardner said: “They don’t stand out as monsters, but they are monsters in disguise. We rarely see criminal behaviour involving the sexual abuse of children to this degree.

“The men involved in this group actively targeted families to facilitate the sexual abuse of their children, toddlers and babies. The depravity of these men appeared to know no bounds and is without doubt as vile as we have seen.”

Safeguarding measures

The NCA launched its investigation, codenamed Operation Voicer, last September after one of those eventually convicted – Toms – contacted police and admitted he had abused a child.

In the weeks that followed, the other six members were arrested and a further two victims were identified. Another 21 children have been the subject of “safeguarding” measures in relation to the investigation.

The NCA worked closely with the Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Humberside, Wiltshire and Sussex forces, as well as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and nine local authorities.

The gang had gone to significant lengths to hide their online activities. There was no business element to them, with no evidence of any payment being received.