'Horrendous' paedophile who raped and sexually assaulted a baby jailed for life

A “horrendous” paedophile who raped and abused a baby for his own “sexual gratification” has been jailed for life.

Gareth Davis, from Runcorn, Cheshire, must serve a minimum term of 27 years after he admitted the crimes at Chester Crown Court on Monday.

The 43-year-old was arrested in October last year after a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation discovered that he had posted a number of indecent images of children online.

As well as images of him raping and sexually assaulting a baby, Davis had also taken naked pictures of another young child.

In total, 512 sexual photographs of children were found on his mobile phone.

There were also screenshots of Google image searches for ‘baby models’ and ‘underground child modelling photos’.

Davis pleaded guilty to rape, sexual assault and three counts of making indecent images of children during an earlier hearing.

If he is released, he will remain on licence and on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Kerry Gilgrist, from the NCA, said: “The abuse carried out by Davis is nothing short of horrendous.

“He raped a baby and exploited another child for his own sexual gratification, then went one step further and shared images of his abuse with another like-minded individual online.

“There is no greater priority for the NCA than disrupting sexual offenders and protecting children.

“I’m pleased that this investigation has ensured Davis has been brought to justice and is now behind bars, where he no longer poses a threat.”