Two Surrey men found guilty of multiple child sex offences

Stephen Ireland, 40, from Addlestone, was found guilty of the rape of a child under 13, three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and the sexual assault of a child under 13, as well as:

• Conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child;
• Arranging commission of a child sex offence;
• Six counts of making indecent photographs of children;
• Four counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child;
• Possession of prohibited images of children;
• Possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Ireland and his partner, 27-year-old David Sutton, were found guilty of voyeurism and one count of perverting the course of justice. Sutton was found guilty of three counts of making indecent photographs of children and one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image. However, the jury found Sutton and Ireland not guilty of the conspiracy offences with which they had also been charged, including three counts of arranging a child sexual offence, five counts of conspiracy to sexually assault a child, one count of conspiracy to kidnap a child and one count one count of conspiracy to administer a substance with intent.

Both men had previously pleaded guilty to a number of offences at the start of the trial. Ireland pleaded guilty to possessing 274 prohibited images of children and possessing an extreme pornographic image, while Sutton pleaded guilty to distributing a category A indecent photograph of a child, distributing three category B indecent photographs of a child and possessing 64 prohibited images of children.

Ireland was arrested in April 2024 following a report of the rape of a 12-year-old boy. A search of a phone hidden in his flat revealed indecent images of children. Both were arrested on 11 June 2024 for distribution and possession of indecent images of children.

On 14 August 2024, charges were authorised for 44 offences (later increased to 45), relating to Ireland and Sutton, and spanning the period between August 2022 and July 2024.

"Stephen Ireland was a sexual predator who targeted a young boy and took advantage of his age and vulnerability for his own gratification. I would like to pay tribute to the victim in this case for their courage in coming forward and for giving evidence. I hope the guilty verdicts help them start to re-build their life.

“Both men have demonstrated an extreme sexual interest in children and the fact that the jury has found them both guilty of multiple sexual offences today means that they will no longer pose that risk.

“Both men then tried to cover up their offending by intentionally deleting material from their phones once they became aware of the police investigation and following their arrests.

“This has been an extremely difficult and complex investigation, and I would like to thank all those involved for their hard work and dedication. I hope the convictions today send a clear message to any victim of a sexual offence, that you will be listened to, you will be supported, and we will investigate such crimes thoroughly.”

Claire Gallagher, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “It is clear that both Stephen Ireland and David Sutton had a perverted and dangerous interest in children.

“Child sexual abuse is a devastating crime which can have a lifelong impact on victims. I would like to offer my deepest thanks to the victims who supported the prosecution and helped the CPS and Surrey Police bring these offenders to justice.”