Accountant, 57, and his boyfriend, 56, are jailed for total of 30 years after sexually assaulting children as young as 11 while they filmed their sick acts
- Richard Townsend and Mark Metcalfe carried out a 10-year campaign of abuse
- The couple from Southampton filmed each other assaulting children
- Townsend was jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of various assaults
- Metcalfe was jailed for seven years for sexual assaults and one indecent assault
An accountant and his boyfriend were today jailed for a total of 30 years after they sexually assaulted children together in a sickening 10-year campaign of abuse.
Richard Townsend, 57, abused children as young as 11 and even filmed his partner Mark Metcalfe, 56, sexually assaulting a teenage boy who was ’15 at most’.
Investigators said the depraved couple ‘led a seemingly normal’ life however ‘their sexual interest in children could not stay hidden’.
Richard Townsend (left), 57, abused children as young as 11 and even filmed his partner Mark Metcalfe (right), 56, sexually assaulting a teenage boy who was ’15 at most’
The pair, from Southampton, were convicted of a total of 17 offences spanning a decade from 1996 to 2006.
Townsend was convicted by a jury of 14 counts including rape, indecent assault, indecency with a child and assault by penetration, and was jailed for 23 years.
Southampton Crown Court heard over the course of several years he abused two boys – one aged from 11 to 15 and another from 13 to 16 – as well as an unknown male.
Townsend was a convicted sex offender, having being handed a suspended sentence in March last year after admitting encouraging the distribution of indecent images and making indecent images of children.
He used an online chat room where child abuse was played and when National Crime Agency officers seized his electronic devices they found 158 indecent images of children – 38 in the most serious category.
NCA investigators also discovered online chat records in which Townsend told someone he was sexually abusing a boy.
He was asked: ‘Do u get 2 see him a lot?’
He replied: ‘Luck, patience n planning :)’
Southampton Crown Court (pictured) heard over the course of several years Townsend abused two boys – one aged from 11 to 15 and another from 13 to 16 – as well as an unknown male
The NCA investigation into this online offending uncovered the non-recent offences as the two known victims came forward to report them.
Metcalfe was convicted of two sexual assaults and one indecent assault and was jailed for seven years.
When NCA officers searched the couple’s home they discovered a home-made video of Metcalfe – believed to be shot by Townsend – sexually abusing the third, unknown male.
Townsend was also put on the sex offenders register for life and Metcalfe was put on it for 10 years.
NCA operations manager Graham Ellis said: ‘I’d like to commend the bravery and immense courage of the victims for coming forward to report these horrific crimes.
‘This is a deeply harrowing case and one that shows to anyone who doubts it that there is a clear link between offenders like Townsend viewing abuse images and carrying out actual sexual abuse.
‘The NCA and our law enforcement partners are relentless in our pursuit of child sex offenders whose actions wreck so many lives.
‘We have no greater priority than protecting children from sexual abuse.’