A self-proclaimed 'monster' has been jailed for 30 years after he was found guilty of a catalogue of horrific child sex crimes.
Jay Perren, from Nottingham, was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to 25 offences - including the rape of a baby and six counts of taking indecent images of a child.
Further convictions included four more counts of rape, sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography, three counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault, and sexual activity with a child,
The 34-year-old was also found guilty of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, six counts of taking indecent images of a child, and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Perren's sick crimes were committed over a number of years, and documented in 33,000 images and videos which were stored in 140 folders on an SD card, GazetteLive reports.
Teesside Crown Court heard his offending came to light when police stormed his Stockton home in November 2020, where officers recovered a number of devices including a hidden phone which contained category A, B, and C indecent images.
More devices were found when police again searched his home a month later. Recorder Watson said the material uncovered on the gadgets "can only be described as depraved and deplorable".
During the hearing, the defendant - formerly known as Stephen Jardine - heard how his crimes left his victims "broke", with one woman saying she contemplated taking her own life and another saying the defendant had "ripped her soul apart".
In a victim impact statement, one woman said: "I was a child when I was abused by this adult. I was burdened with the pressure of being sexually abused by this predator.
"This broke me as a person and ripped my soul apart. He is where my downfall began. I completely isolated myself and hated being around any man and feared they'd do the same."
Another victim said the court case almost drove her to suicide, and commented: "I do not wish to give this monster any power in thinking that he's broken me."
The court heard Perren has several victims, and admitted to one that he had a "monster inside his head and had to feed it". A psychiatric report outlined in court concluded the defendant suffers from paedophilic disorder.
Perren's barrister, Victoria Lamballe, said the defendant has admitted to this, she said: "He recognised as far back as 2017 that he needed help. He admitted to a sexual attraction to children.
"Mr Perren recognises he has a problem and has shown himself prepared to accept a variety of different measures with a few of reducing the risk he might pose in the future."
The officer in charge of the investigation, Cleveland Police's Detective Constable Dave Medd from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), revealed that Perren initially handed over a ‘clean phone’ when officers searched his home - before officers noticed he was charging another phone under his pillow.
The phone contained an SD card detailing the history of his offending, and showed he had been digitally documenting the crimes he had committed across the UK. These were labelled with either the location or victim's name.
She added: "One particularly disturbing image hid Perren’s face but we proved it was him based on the cuff of a distinctive jacket he was wearing. We found an exact replica of the jacket on eBay (the only one being sold in the UK at that time) and following this, we managed to match it to a photograph of him wearing it on a trip he took seven days after the offence.
“This was one of the many ways we proved that Perren was guilty of his crimes, however it is the victims that have been central to the success of this investigation. They have co-operated at great emotional cost and carried themselves with courage and dignity throughout the whole process. Due to their age at the time, many of the victims didn’t realise they had been subjected to a crime until we visited them, and this has been incredibly distressing for them to come to terms with.
“On behalf of the team, we would like to thank all of our victims and witnesses in this case; without their strength and determination, we would have been unable to achieve such a positive outcome. Hopefully now Perren has been sentenced, the victims will finally be given some form of closure, and they can now attempt to move on with their lives.”
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
