A MALVERN man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual offences against adults and children.
Ryan Mountford, 30, from Rundlemean in Mathon, Malvern was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday, January 23.
He also received a four-year extended sentence on licence, an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be added to the sex offender for life register upon release.
Mountford had previously pleased guilty to a host of charges including multiple counts of making and distributing indecent images of children, six counts of sexual assault of a male and one count of assault by touching of a boy under 13.
He was also sentenced for one count of voyeurism, one count of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and one count of intentionally encouraging/assisting the commission of an either way offence.
Either way offences include theft, sexual assault or grievous bodily harm which can be tried in either magistrates or crown court. Usually considered ‘less serious’ than indictable-only offences but remain distressing, harmful crimes.
Mountford was arrested on Tuesday August 29, 2023 after an intelligence referral came through from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The referral was developed by the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET) who identified Mountford as a suspect. He was charged and remanded into custody the same day.
Detective sergeant Sarah Nicholson said: “Mountford is a dangerous individual who committed horrendous crimes.
“I’m pleased that he will now face the consequences for his actions and will rightly be identified as a sex offender for life and spend time in prison.
“This case was a strong team effort with our Digital Forensics Unit, Digital Intelligence and Investigation Unit and OCSET coming together to build a case against Mountford but, more importantly, to identify victims and prevent further harm.”
Visit https://www.westmercia.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/ to report concerns about child exploitation, including child sexual exploitation.
Visit https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/ or https://www.iwf.org.uk/ or https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ for independent advice and support.
