The full extent of perverted couple’s depravity has been laid bare after a judge published his full sentencing remarks after locking them up for almost 40 years.
Gavin Marsden and Amy Scott carried out a catalogue of sexual abuse against children, but their sickening behaviour only came to light when they were snared by an online paedophile hunting group.
The Darlington couple’s home was raided after they were arrested at Durham Railway Station last April when they thought they were meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex.
Teesside Crown Court heard how vile images and videos were recovered from number of digital devices stashed in their home revealing the full extent of their depravity.
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WhatsApp messaged showed how 31-year-old Marsden persuaded his partner to sexually abuse young children and record it before he was also photographed assaulting a child.
Judge Chris Smith sentenced Marsden to 22 years, including 16 in prison, and told 32-year-old Scott she would serve 11-years in prison before being released on a four-year extended licence.
Passing sentence, he said: “In April 2022 an online group of concerned members of the public set up a decoy profile online. One of the group, posing as the fictitious character ‘Paige’, said she was 14 years of age.
“Believing she was only 14, you, Amy Scott, set about messaging ‘Paige’ via your mobile telephone. The messages sent over WhatsApp were a mixture of messages designed to befriend and reassure here and those which sought to corrupt her."
Gavin Marsden (Image: Durham Constabulary)
He said Scott sought indecent images and sent instructions encouraging her to perfom sex acts and added: "You sent her a video of yourself performing a sexual act to try to encourage her into inappropriate sexual behaviour.
“Within a week of first messaging, you were pressing for Paige to meet you and your boyfriend; sexual activity – illegal sexual activity – was plainly on your mind.
“And so, on April 16, 2022, the two of you travelled to Durham railway station. You were plainly hoping to meet a 14-year-old girl there. I am satisfied that you both intended to engage in penetrative sexual activity with her.
“Of course, she did not exist. You were met by those who had created the fictitious profile. And you were later arrested by the police.
“Of itself, that troubling offending would attract a significant term of imprisonment. But so far as your offending was concerned, your interactions with ‘Paige’ were to prove to be only the tip of an iceberg of sexual depravity.
“An examination of digital devices seized after your arrest uncovered a shocking catalogue of child abuse committed by the pair of you over a long period of time."
He said a WhatsApp conversation between the pair revealed a request from Marsden that Scott should photograph herself performing a sex act on a child.
Amy Scott (Image: Durham Constabulary)
He added: “Other conversations revealed plans to sexually abuse another young child. Together you conspired to take indecent images of a number of young children – including images which would have captured distressing scenes.
“You, Scott, sent some of the indecent images you did possess to your partner. One image taken by you Scott and later found by the police showed you Marsden abusing a child.
“Other indecent moving and still images recovered after your arrest reveal how you were involved at first hand in the sexual abuse of children and in the making and possessing of child pornography.
“Marsden, you are aged 31 years of age. I am entirely satisfied that you were the driving force behind this offending. Whilst I acknowledge that you may well have been shaped by some of the tragic aspects of your upbringing you nevertheless have an entrenched sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children of both genders.
“I have formed that assessment based upon your antecedent history and the contents of the pre-sentence report. Your guilty pleas reflect important admissions but there is little by way of remorse or insight.
“You are, in my view, unquestionably dangerous and I have no hesitation in concluding that you pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to members of the public by the commission by you of further sexual offences.
“Bearing in mind all that I have read about you and what you did I feel compelled to impose an extended sentence upon you.
“Scott, you are 32, I have read a helpful report by the doctor who came to see you whilst you have been in prison. I know you had lots of difficulties at school. You have learning difficulties – you are of extremely low intelligence – and you are suggestible.
“I am sure that you were pressurised by Marsden. And I know that you were desperate to please him; you would do anything to keep him in your life. But you lost sight of how, in trying to keep your relationship together you were sexually abusing others and causing them harm.
“You didn’t care for them. You cared more about yourself and your boyfriend. I think you have vulnerabilities which others, in the future, might take advantage of. I think others might pressurise you into committing serious offences in the future.
“And I think, if that happened, you could cause really serious harm to other people. So, I have to pass a special sentence that means that you will have more supervision when you are assessed as being safe to release from prison.
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“Marsden, the least possible sentence I can impose, giving you credit for your guilty pleas is one of 16 years’ imprisonment. A determinate sentence would not fully address the risk you currently represent; I consider it necessary to impose an extended sentence upon you in order to protect the public in the future. That extended sentence is made up of two parts; a custodial period, which will be no longer than the sixteen-year period I have mentioned, and an extended licence period of six years making an extended sentence of 22 years duration in total.
“You will serve two-thirds of the custodial period in prison before the Parole Board will consider whether it is safe to release you, and if so on what terms. Once released, you will serve on licence any part of the custodial period which remains, and you will then be subject to an extended licence for a further period of six years making 22 years in all.
“In your case Scott, I pass the same sort of sentence but it will be shorter because it is obvious to me that you were taken advantage of by your boyfriend. You will serve a sentence of 11 years with an extension period of four years. That means you will serve just less than eight years before the parole board can consider if it is safe to release you. If they do release you at that point you would spend about the same amount of time on licence making it 15 years before your sentence came to an end.”
The Darlington couple, both of Cobden Street, pleaded guilty to a catalogue of sex abuse charges, including distribution of indecent images of children, possession of indecent images of children and attempting to engage in sexual behaviour with a child.
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