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Paedophile told police he was attracted to children ‘from babies to about three-years-old’

Jason Pearson

This is the Moira man who gets his sick sexual kicks from watching babies and infants being raped and sexually abused.

Jailing Jason Anthony Pearson at Craigavon Crown Court, Judge Patrick Lynch KC told the 45-year-old the images and videos he had “for personal entertainment, if I could express it that way…are worthy of the worst excesses of the Roman Empire”.

Imposing a 28-month sentence on Friday with an order for Pearson to serve half that in jail and half on licence, the judge told him “the revulsion of society has to be reflected in the sentences imposed by the court”.

Pearson, from Tanners Court in Moira, had earlier entered guilty pleas to 14 charges of possessing indecent photographs of children on dates between April 2, 2020 and November 11, 2021 as well as single offences of distributing indecent images and possessing extreme pornography.

Opening the facts of the Crown case, prosecuting counsel Joseph Murphy told the curt that when police raided Pearson’s home and seized his phone, he made “full and frank admissions that he had viewed all categories of images over the past six months” and had shared some images through a chat room.

“He accepted that he had an attraction to children,” said Mr Murphy adding that when asked if he had a specific preference, Pearson told police “it’s the youngest – I’m sorry to say but it’s the youngest, from babies to about three-years-old”.

Turning to what was uncovered on Pearson’s phone, the lawyer outlined that in the most serious category A relating to material which depicts children involved in penetrative sexual acts or in circumstances of sadism or bestiality, the pervert had 558 images and 12 videos whole at category B which shows non-penetrative sexual acts, Pearson had 418 images and two videos.

Mr Murphy revealed these offences are not the first time Pearson has been in court for having indecent material, adding that in May 2007 he was handed a probation order for similar offending.

In that case, the court heard how police in Kentucky, USA were investigating reports of child abuse when they hacked into webcam of a 13-year-old girl.

Pearson was part of that chatroom and cops were able to trace the ISP address back to his home in Moira and that resulted in him pleading guilty to 60 charges of indecent images.

Defence counsel Patrick Taylor conceded the previous convictions is an aggravating factor, as was Pearson’s “preference” for very young children and babies but he argued the “socially isolated” defendant was due credit for the way he had approached the case.

Jailing Pearson, Judge Lynch said Pearson is “intelligent enough to know what he was doing was wrong” and that by reoffending, he had “spurned the opportunity” given to him in 2007.

In addition, Pearson was told he will have to sign the police sex offenders register for 10 years and obey the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention order for 12 years.

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