Man Jailed for Sexual Abuse of Nine Children Has Sentence Extended on Appeal

Jonathan Richard Maertens, 35, of Freshwater, was originally sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 16 years for the sexual abuse of nine children. He recorded himself abusing the girls, aged between four and 17, and pleaded guilty to 34 separate indictments.

The indictments included:

• 10 multiple incident counts of rape of a child under 13
• Three counts including two multiple incident counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration
• Five counts of sexual assault of a child under 13
• Three counts including one multiple incident count of rape of a child
• Two multiple incident counts of assault by penetration of a child
• Three counts of sexual assault of a child
• Three counts of taking indecent photographs of a child
• One count of making indecent photographs of a child
• Three counts including two multiple incident counts of administering a substance with intent
• One count of possessing a paedophile manual

The Court of Appeal, under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) Scheme, found Maertens' sentence was unduly lenient and extended the minimum term to be served to 25 years.

Detective Sergeant Damon Kennard said: "We welcome the Court of Appeal decision today to extend the sentence of Jonathan Maertens. I hope this provides further justice to the girls and their families, who continue to receive support from services as they seek to move on with their lives. We take all reports of sexual assault extremely seriously and will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice. It is vital for us that people have the confidence to report incidents to us."