Paedophile Martin Hatcher 'Spied on Children' with Binoculars

Martin Hatcher, a scientist who used binoculars to spy on children at a primary school close to where he lived in Devon, has been jailed for three years.

Exeter Crown Court was told that Hatcher, 46, also took pictures of the children in the play area doing handstands and wearing swim suits.

Hatcher, from Exeter, earlier pleaded guilty to 26 charges of making indecent pictures of children.

The court heard he downloaded almost 270,000 images of child pornography.

The pictures covered all five categories of seriousness - ranging from sadism and bestiality to abuse of babies.

'Elevated risk'

Hatcher, an NHS scientist, had four computer towers, 10 hard drives, mass storage devices, discs and videos in his home.

Police also found mannequins made out of children's clothing and magazines with details of child sex cases, including Fred and Rose West.

Hatcher had also taken pictures of neighbours' children which he doctored to look pornographic, the court was told.

Judge Philip Wassall said he was constrained in the length of the prison term by sentencing guidelines and Hatcher would only serve half of the three years before being released.

He said: "You pose an elevated risk of live abuse against children which is plainly evidenced by material seized from your home.

"That material shows the depths and extent of your perverted sexual thinking."

The court was told Hatcher obtained images by subscribing to a child pornography website in America and it was his subscription details that led to his being caught.

In mitigation, Stephen Nunn said Hatcher had co-operated fully with the police and pleaded guilty immediately.

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life, banned from working with children and made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order.

BBC News