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Richard Huckle's parents 'threw him out when he admitted child abuse' British paedophile 'planned to marry victim and abuse foster children'
(about 5 hours later)
A British paedophile who faces multiple life sentences for an “exceptional and unprecedented” number of child sex offences was thrown out by his parents when he admitted the abuse, a court has heard. A British paedophile who faces multiple life sentences for abusing Malaysian babies and young children dreamed of marrying one of his victims and becoming a foster carer so he could abuse “a cycle of children” coming through his home, a court has been told.
Richard Huckle, 30, who posed as a Christian and a teacher to target impoverished families in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, told his mother of the abuse after being arrested at Gatwick airport when flying home for Christmas in 2014. Richard Huckle, 30, boasted on an online paedophile forum that he hoped to “mould” the young girl into turning a blind eye to his abuse for fear of losing her “middle class” lifestyle.
The freelance photographer, from Ashford, Kent, had refused to answer any questions on arrest and was bailed to his parents’ address, Brian O’Neill QC, prosecuting, told a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey. Huckle, a freelance photographer from Ashford, Kent, has pleaded guilty to 71 charges of sexual offences against 23 identified children aged between six months and 13 years from an impoverished Christian community in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Huckle had posed as a Christian philanthropist and teacher to gain access to children.
“The following day his mother questioned him about the allegations,” said O’Neill. At his sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey, Brian O’Neill QC, prosecuting, said after his arrest Huckle told a psychiatrist he wanted to “put all this madness behind me” and, when released from prison, wanted to seek a South Indian woman.
“He admitted to her that he had had sexual activity with children aged three to 13,” he added. “His mother was both extremely upset and extremely angry; she and his father called the police and asked them to take their son away, making clear they did not want him under their roof.” But O’Neill invited the judge to read an online posting by Huckle 18 months before his arrest, found on an online forum on the darknet, since taken down.
Huckle, who has pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child sex offences against 23 identified children aged between six months and 12 years, targeted poor Christian communities over nine years, beginning the abuse on a gap year to south-east Asia when he was 19. In it Huckle wrote of his love of South Asia because “the kids are adorable and their families are easy to get along with” so “you can easily play along and do what you want, within limits, with their kids”.
He was arrested in December 2014 by the National Crime Agency acting on information from Australian investigators. He wrote of having sexual contact with children from one family, “and although the family obviously doesn’t approve they try to work around it as they know I can be a potentially valuable asset to them in the future”.
He had posted video and pictures of himself raping children, which were shared online on the “dark web”, and was in the process of publishing a paedophile guide on how to abuse children from impoverished areas without being detected. He wrote that he hoped to marry one of the girls whom he had known since she was seven and thought he could “influence her young mind to mould her into the perfect wife”. But, he said, she “strongly disapproves” of him having sex with her and her family members.
He boasted online that “impoverished kids are definitely much easier to seduce than middle-class western kids”. “My ambition, once married, would be for our family to be foster carers,” he wrote.
O’Neill told the judge, Peter Rook, the extent of Huckle’s abuse was likely to be greater as investigators had been unable to access six heavily password-protected encrypted files on his computer. “Though I would like my own kids, only one or two, I am not a big fan of incest. So even though it’s very risky I’d like a cycle of children to come through staying at my house, and, depending on the child’s character, would depend how far I would take things (I’d never push a child out of their comfort zone).”
He added he would hope to influence his young wife “into not reporting me as I would make it clear to her that she would lose her ‘middle class’ lifestyle if I got busted”.
He would rather have “complete control” over children any time of the day, rather than “just visiting at weekends and getting lucky”, O’Neill read aloud to the court.
Marriage to a Western woman wasn’t for “a paedo”, Huckle wrote. “There are some you would be safe with but they would be extremely unattractive”, but, he added “you could get away with a lot more” if you married a South Asian girl.
Huckle, who faces multiple life sentences for an “exceptional and unprecedented” number of child sex offences, was thrown out by his parents when he admitted the abuse, the court was told.
He was arrested at Gatwick airport flying home for Christmas in 2014, refused to answer any questions, and was bailed to his parents’ address. The following day his mother asked him about the allegations.
“He admitted to her that he had had sexual activity with children aged three-13,” said O’Neill. “His mother was both extremely upset and extremely angry; she and his father called the police and asked them to take their son away, making clear they did not want him under their roof.”
Huckle, targeted poor Christian communities over nine years, beginning the abuse on a gap year to south east Asia when he was 19.
He had posted video and pictures of himself raping children, which were shared online on the darknet, and was in the process of publishing a paedophile guide on how to abuse children from impoverished areas without being detected.
He boasted online that “impoverished kids are definitely much easier to seduce than middle class Western kids”.
O’Neill told judge Peter Rook the extent of Huckle’s abuse was likely to be greater as investigators had been unable to access six password protected heavily encrypted files on his computer.
The judge could infer “that there are numerous other indecent images of the sexual abuse of children hidden within the encrypted space to which Huckle has denied the investigators access”, said O’Neill.The judge could infer “that there are numerous other indecent images of the sexual abuse of children hidden within the encrypted space to which Huckle has denied the investigators access”, said O’Neill.
However, prosecutors had been able to access more than 20,000 indecent images of children, as well as a “Paedopoints” ledger which Huckle had created to award himself points for acts of depravity on children. A total of 191 children were mentioned on his scorecard.However, prosecutors had been able to access more than 20,000 indecent images of children, as well as a “Paedopoints” ledger which Huckle had created to award himself points for acts of depravity on children. A total of 191 children were mentioned on his scorecard.
Of the 71 counts Huckle has pleaded guilty to, 22 carry a life sentence.
“The abuse includes almost every conceivable aggravating feature,” said O’Neill. Some children were abused for years, many were very young, and Huckle held himself out as a teacher and philanthropist to win the trust of the community, O’Neill said.
“He was trusted to take these children out for treats on their birthdays, to assist them with their lessons, to take them to church. He was trusted to take children out of care homes where they had been placed, for similar activities,” said O’Neill.
The hearing continues.The hearing continues.