'Warped' Winsford paedophile jailed for 88 sex offences

David Harmes, from Winsford, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court today, Wednesday.

The Crown Prosecution Service said he contacted children as young as six in both countries on the internet, often posing as a model scout.

He was summonsed to court from HMP Risley in Warrington.

Thousands of indecent images and recordings of more than 300 different children were found on his computer, many of whom remain unidentified.

Thousands of indecent images and recordings of more than 300 children were found on David Harmes' computer (Image: Cheshire Police)

Harmes used around 30 different identities to make contact with children over social media game and chat applications such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

He was extremely prolific in his attempts to contact young female children, often contacting many at the same time.

He would often persuade the child to download an app that meant they could video call each other.

But he would invariably keep his camera switched off and would use screen capture software to record and retain what appeared on his screen.

He often initiated contact by pretending to be either a female modelling agent, working for a fashion company or a teenage boy.

A script was found on his computer that he would use during his initial interaction with the children.

Harmes' distinctive bedsheets helped detectives to catch him (Image: Cheshire Police)

The text said: “I’m Jess and I’m a model scout. We’re looking for girls aged 10-14 to help launch our new spring range, and I thought you’d be perfect! The online trial takes 10 minutes and if you pass you’ll earn £1,200 just for doing it!."

Having contacted one victim, Harmes would often then target their friends or siblings or people from the same school.

He used a plethora of guises to draw his victims in, including a model scout for major clothing outlets called Jess or a boy called Jaden or Alex, or Jadenthelad.

All the time he would keep his real identity hidden.

His offending came to light on January 4, 2020, when a report was made to the police about a man grooming an 11-year-old girl over the internet.

Harmes was identified via his computer’s IP address and Instagram username.

He was arrested and pleaded guilty to 88 offences on July 24 this year.

Most of the offences related to him grooming female children online and then causing or inciting them to engage in sexual activity, as well as the possession and production of indecent images of children.

The charges related to 45 named child victims - 39 from the UK and six from the USA.

The youngest of his victims was just six years old.

At the time of his offending, he was on licence after being released from a jail term for similar offences.

Investigating officer DS Mark Naylor from the Constabulary’s Major Crime Directorate said: “Having received intelligence that Harmes was offending, his laptops, phones and other digital devices were seized in a warrant at his address, and Harmes was returned to prison for breaching his Sex Offender Notification Order on February 8, 2020 preventing him from committing further crimes.”

Detectives pieced together his offending and linked him by his distinctive bedding in the images they found on his devices as well as footage of him accidentally opening his laptop and it filming his face, albeit for a few seconds.

Detectives liaised with USA authorities to secure evidence for victims in America.

Harmes was served with a summons in HMP Risley on May 18, this year, to appear in court to face the charges, which included possessing, making and distributing indecent images, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Today, Wednesday, Harmes was sentenced to 30 years in jail and eight years on licence.

Sentencing him, Honour Judge Berkson described Harmes’s actions as ‘well-planned’ and ‘sophisticated criminal behaviour’.

He received a further Sexual Harm Prevention Order and deprivation of the phone and laptop used in the offences.

He has to sign the Sex Offences register indefinitely and is barred from working with children.

Jiro Asafa, a lawyer with CPS Mersey Cheshire, specialising in Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) said: “Harmes is a prolific and dangerous sex offender who played on the hopes and aspirations of children to gratify his warped sexual desires.

“The feelings of the children involved meant nothing to him. If any of them protested, he would threaten to show the videos he had made about them to people they knew.

“As is common with online child sexual abuse, Harmes pretended to be a whole host of other people to get the children to do what he wanted.

“They were dragged into an adult world that they didn’t understand and without comprehending what they were being asked to do.

“Thankfully, Harmes pleaded guilty which meant the victims of his horrific crimes did not have to go through the process of giving evidence at a trial, but the extent of his crimes is truly shocking.

“The Crown Prosecution Service, working with Cheshire Police, built a strong case against him and he admitted his guilt.

“We hope that this case sends a message out to children and parents that caution is required at all times when engaging with people on the internet as they may not be what they seem.

“We also hope it shows potential online abusers that they will be caught and brought to justice.”

Detective Superintendent Carlos Brunes said: “This has been a complex and meticulous investigation with international based victims that has resulted in the conviction of Harmes and will bring justice for the victims of his offending.

“Cheshire Constabulary has an investigation team dedicated to targeting those who sexually abuse and offend against children online and teams across the force work with partners to educate children, parents and carers about online predators, to safeguard children from potential harm.

“We’re really keen to drum home the message that parents and carers need to know what their children are doing online in order to protect them from predators like Harmes.

“We all know that we need to teach children not to speak to strangers in the street, but we need to drive home that very same message for the online world too, to prevent people like Harmes taking advantage.”