Newtown child sex offender jailed

A Newtown sex offender with an obsession for child torture has been jailed indefinitely after it was revealed he had befriended families to gain their trust before targeting children.

 

Anthony Martin Milsom pleaded guilty to more than 40 child sex-related offences at Mold Crown Court today and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. On completion however, he will have to satisfy a parole board regarding his rehabilitation before he is released.

 

Unemployed Milsom was 62 when he was arrested in Newtown in October 2010. He is originally from Humberside.

 

The offences relate to Milsom deliberately targeting and befriending families with young children and carrying out abuse on the very young unknowing victims while babysitting within a family setting. The offences took place over a number of years.

 

None of the families concerned knew that the abuse was taking place, allowing Milsom to stay off the radar for many years until he was exposed by information that came directly from the community.

 

Police found in his home more than 5,100 hand-made indecent drawings, more than 200 indecent photographs, a total of 127,700 indecent still images, together with 500 indecent films and 188 home-made videos.

The court was told that Milsom's large collection of indecent images revealed his fascination with the murder, abduction and rape of young female children. He even did his own drawings depicting child torture and police found an exercise book entitled "how to kidnap young girls" which included hand-drawn indecent images.

Detective Inspector Ian Andrew said: "Dyfed-Powys Police would like to thank the community for the information and would use this opportunity to encourage members of the public to engage with their local Neighbourhood Management Teams in all issues of concern. This is the value of Neighbourhood Policing.”

 

Following the initial arrest, police say it soon became apparent that they had a dangerous sex  offender on their hands and a major police enquiry was launched. The victims were identified from images and contacted by specialist trained detectives who now, as adults, gave accounts of their contact with Milsom.

 

DI Andrews added: "We would like to pay tribute to these women and thank them for their assistance and courage. In the course of the enquiry many thousands of hours of video and digital moving imagery has been examined.

 

"In addition thousands of drawings have been catalogued and categorised as indecent ‘prohibited images’ under the Coroners and Justice Act 0f 2009. In fact, this legislation did not come into force until 2010 and it is likely that this is the first time that it has been used in Wales.”

 

Officers have spent months reviewing the material which police described as time consuming, meticulous and very distressing.

 

On sentencing Judge Parry said that this offence was truly shocking and extremely worrying – and would chill the blood of any parent. In addition, the judge also highlighted Milsom’s uncontrollable obsession with child pornography and torture.