Post by Focus on Feb 26, 2013 11:02:27 GMT
A pilot who claimed the 'stresses' of running seven flying businesses in a recession turned him into an internet paedophile was behind bars today with his reputation in ruins.
Craig Seville, 37, who ran his own flying school in Blackpool, Lancashire, hoarded hundreds of images of young girls on his home PC and trawled chatrooms to prey on children.
Craig Seville, from Springhead, Oldham, hoarded hundreds of images of young girls on his home PC and trawled chatrooms to prey on children
He was caught in a sting operation by an undercover policewoman posing as a 12-year-old girl on the internet. Seville asked her to be his 'sexual pupil' before exposing himself to her on a webcam.
Seville, from Springhead, Oldham, later claimed he carried out the offences after entering into a 'fantasy world to take him out of the real world' when factors including bad weather had left him in a distressed and difficult position. He has since lost all his businesses.
At Preston Crown Court the boss of Blackpool Flying School, based at the resort's airport, and other associated firms was jailed for three and a half years.
Judge Stuart Baker told him: 'This is not the stuff of fantasy - there's no fantasy world involving the abuse of children.
'The children depicted in the images are children being appallingly abused by adults elsewhere in the world.'
The judge added: 'It is truly always a very sad occasion when a court has to impose a sentence on a mature man who has been industrious, who has had a successful career in business and well liked amongst his community, friends and family and well regarded and well respected.
'You have lost your business, your employment and your reputation and, no doubt for many years to come, bear a stigma amongst the community at large for these offences.
Sentence : Seville was jailed for three and a half years at Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to three charges
'It may well be that there was an element of fantasising about what you were doing but it is a fact that you assumed or, at least, believed that people with whom you were corresponding were under the age of 16.
'You engaged with them in inappropriate conversation and by enticing them into sexual activity. It took the form of grooming them towards the end.
'You might think by watching it you were not doing people harm but it is precisely because people watch it over an internet screen that there is such a flourishing business of producing this kind of material in the first place.
'Watching this material gives oxygen to those who produce it. Those are real children, being badly abused.'
Earlier Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said police had raided Seville's home in February last year.
They recovered his laptop and discovered 436 photographs showing children being abused by adults - including one of an 18-month baby girl. Seville had also been using chat rooms - including one called 'Chat Avenue' - as a way to chat to teenage girls.
'He said he was curious but never intended it to lead to anything,' said Mr McEntee. 'He indicated that he had a web cam but he didn't use it. He had spoken to 14-year-old girls and asked what they were into sexually.'
Seville, who would always be up front about his own age, would continue chatting privately to certain members on MSN.
He admitted he got some sexual gratification from chatting to youngsters, describing it as being 'a virtual world, as if separated by the real world.'
Seville was released on bail but was caught committing further offences by a police officer carrying out surveillance on the internet in September 2012.
The prosecutor said: 'She indicated that she was 12, to which he replied, "That's so sexy".
'He asked her, "Do you want to learn about sexual stuff? Would you be interested in trying and learning things with me?"'
Five days later, he asked if she would like to meet up to kiss and experiment with him - trying to reassure her by saying he'd had relationships with girls aged 13 before. He then exposed himself on a web cam, for the 'girl' to see.
When the 'girl' indicated that she may want to engage in sexual activity, Seville said they would only do it when 'totally ready and they would be very careful together.'
MSN sexual conversations followed, before Seville was arrested.
Business: Seville claimed the stresses of running his businesses, including a flying school at Blackpool Airport, during a recession turned him into an internet paedophile
Seville pleaded guilty to three charges - within a long list of offences dating between November 2011 to February 2012 - of distributing indecent images through Skype and MSN and attempting to engage a child in sexual activity.
Defence lawyer Barbara Webster, stated her client - who has no previous convictions - had slipped into a 'fantasy world' after the stress of keeping his seven aeronautic businesses afloat in the recession and bad weather got too much for him.
She said: 'From references, this individual had a good upbringing. He made his way up the ladder, he had a successful business, he obtained his pilot's licence, flew with DHL across the world and owned seven well maintained businesses.
'Due to a number of factors, he found himself in a very distressing and difficult position. As a result, stresses came to their highest point. He maintains that he entered into this fantasy world to take him out of the real world and from there became his own world away from everything else.'
Seville was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life and banned from working with children for life -- Dirty filthy b..tard, this doesn't lay well with me - maybe it's because of where 'it' lives ...
Fx 
