Coventry Man guilty of abusing boys

[dutchman]

A 57 year old man has been found guilty of 15 sex offences involving children.

Thomas Mitchell from Hillfields was found guilty of sexual activity and sexual grooming involving children, following a trial at Coventry Crown Court.

He was found not guilty of three offences including one count of rape, one count of incitement to rape and one count of sexual activity with a child.

He was arrested in August 2010 and charged following after police found images and videos on his computer and phone.

DI Chris Hanson from Coventry’s Public Protection Unit said: ” Officers found harrowing images on Mitchell's computer, phone and video equipment of sexual abuse being committed by the offender on children. It is believed he targeted vulnerable youngsters and subjected them to physical and sexual abuse before blackmailing his victims.”

He added: “It is clear Mitchell is a sadist and very dangerous person. We would like to thank the young victims for their bravery in disclosing the dreadful abuse they suffered. This was a traumatic and difficult investigation for all concerned, including the officers who dealt with it.”

Police tell us the victims were all boys aged between 12 and 16 and from the Midlands.

[dutchman]

Coventry paedophile was once court martialled over soldier sex attack

A FORMER squaddie who drugged and abused a string of young boys was once court martialled by the Army for a sex attack on another soldier.

IT worker Thomas Mitchell, 57, was convicted of 14 counts of sexual activity with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and meeting a child following sexual grooming.

He will be sentenced early next year.

But the Sunday Mercury has discovered that Mitchell, from Hillfields, Coventry, has an offending history dating back decades.

After a long career with the Army, he was court martialled for an indecent assault on a soldier and spent time in a military prison. He was later convicted of another sexual offence and his name was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

But after his name was removed from the register, Mitchell was no longer subject to police or probationary supervision.

And, within two years, he was preying on young boys.

Mitchell is now facing a lengthy prison sentence following his conviction at Coventry Crown Court last week.

He was found not guilty of three offences of rape, incitement to rape and meeting a child following sexual grooming.

The court heard the former squaddie had befriended and groomed boys via social networking sites including Facebook, Bebo and MSN Messenger.

Prosecutor Matthew Barnes said: “Mr Mitchell is a predatory paedophile who, by his own admission, has sexual interest in young boys.

“He uses his mobile phone, money, alcohol and sometimes drugs to abuse and control young boys aged between 12 and 15 and keep them sweet for further abuse.”

One of his victims – who were all aged between 12 and 16 – said the paedophile drove him to the countryside and forced him to commit a sexual act.

Mitchell was arrested in August 2010 after officers found 533 indecent images of children and 232 videos on his computer and phone.

It later emerged that the pervert had used memory sticks and a laptop to view the sickening images while staying in hospital.

The ex-soldier had previously admitted eight counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child, distributing indecent photographs of a child and making an indecent photograph of a child.