Filmed sexual assault of girl aged under 13.

Plymouth Man Jailed for Child Sexual Abuse

A Plymouth man has been sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to a series of charges, including the sexual assault of a child.

Peter Turner, formerly of St Michael Avenue, Keyham, but now residing in Ringwood, Dorset, admitted to sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13 in 2020. He also confessed to taking Category A - the most severe - images of a child, specifically filming the sexual assault.

Turner, 39, further pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism and another sexual assault of a child under 14. He also admitted to taking indecent images of a child in March 2021 and three more counts of taking indecent images of a child in 2021.

Following his guilty pleas to nine charges at Plymouth Crown Court last month, Turner was remanded into custody and sentenced on Thursday.

During the sentencing, Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Mary McCarthy revealed that Turner had filmed the digital penetration of the child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, using his mobile phone.

Investigators, upon examining Turner's phone, discovered searches for specific types of imagery related to child sexual abuse.

The court heard that after the victim disclosed the abuse, she told police that Turner had warned her that if she spoke out, "she would be taken away."

The girl's mother, in a victim impact statement, expressed that her daughter was "terrified of police" when they arrived at their home, "because she was afraid that they would take her away because of what [Turner] had told her."

Her mother stated that Turner "stole her innocence" and that they had to install extra locks on windows and doors "to help her feel safe."

Ms McCarthy noted that Turner had no prior convictions and told police he was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the offenses.

In mitigation, Turner's advocate highlighted his client's past employment history, including work in building tennis courts, DJing, and as a chef.

Judge Robert Linford, after deliberating on the sentence, returned to court and reminded Turner that he had pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial.

He addressed Turner, stating, "These offenses were absolutely abhorrent to all right thinking members of society," before reminding the 39-year-old that he initially denied the charges, forcing the victim to testify and undergo cross-examination.

Judge Linford acknowledged that Turner's late guilty plea at least spared others from having to give evidence.

Turner was classified as an offender of particular concern due to the digital penetration of the victim, and as such, he will serve two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole and will be subject to a one-year license period.

The judge acknowledged Turner's guilty plea as a mitigating factor, granting a five percent reduction in the total sentence.

Considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, Judge Linford imposed a total sentence of 11 and a half years with an additional one-year license period, minus time served.

He also ordered Turner to be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.