BREAKING: Littlehampton man jailed for taking indecent pictures of teen

A LITTLEHAMPTON man who secretly filmed a teenage girl with hidden cameras has today (Friday, January 10) been jailed.
Jon Milllhouse outside courtJon Milllhouse outside court
Jon Milllhouse outside court

Jon Millhouse, of Gloucester Road, had previously been found guilty of all seven charges of taking indecent images and one count of voyeurism.

And today, at Chichester Crown Court, Judge Claudia Ackner sentenced the 57-year-old to three years and six months for his crimes – but he will only serve half of this in jail.

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Millhouse had pleaded not guilty to all the charges he faced, with his barrister, Rebecca Upton, claiming he had taken no sexual gratification from the stills and videos he made.

However, Judge Ackner said that Millhouse was a ‘manipulative’ man who had taken advantage of a vulnerable teenage girl.

She said from January, 2012, until May 18, of the same year, he had ‘executed a truly shocking plan’ to film the teen.

Millhouse, wearing a beige suit, remained silent as Judge Ackner told him how he had amassed a collection of 287 still pictures and 174 videos using a camera concealed in a pen and a hidden webcam.

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She described how Millhouse had carefully planned the whole operation and that when his wife, Wendy, discovered the images on the couple’s home computer, on May 18, 2012, and notified the police, he had attempted to conceal some of the files by renaming them.

Judge Ackner continued telling Millhouse how his actions had affected the girl – something for which Millhouse’s defence counsel Ms Upton said he had expressed remorse and guilt over.

Ms Upton told the court how Millhouse has been of previous good character and had never had a custodial sentence before.

She said his friends had described him as a ‘selfless man, prepared to put his own needs aside and help others’.

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In mitigation, Ms Upton appealed to the judge to show Millhouse some leniency when determining his sentence.

She urged Judge Ackner to consider placing a suspended sentence.

The barrister told how Millhouse acts as a carer to his wife, who was in court supporting her husband, and that by implementing an immediate custodial sentence, it could have a detrimental impact on Mrs Millhouse.

However, Judge Ackner decided a custodial sentence was needed.

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Millhouse will now serve half of his sentence in prison and the other half he will be released on licence.

He will also remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Tim Hughes, of the child protection team in Littlehampton, said: “I’m delighted that justice has been done and this sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes.

“This shows that criminals are not beyond the law and to take images of vulnerable people will lead to serious consequences.”