Paedophile couple jailed for abusing girl, 8, on video call

A paedophile couple who sexually abused an eight-year-old girl on a video call and fantasised about kidnapping another child have been jailed.

Robert Stanley, 36, and his girlfriend Danielle Schofield, 34, were caught following an investigation from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

In August 2019, the couple had a video call in which Schofield sexually abused an eight-year-old girl.

Stanley took screenshots of the abuse for his gratification after he encouraged and incited Schofield.

The pair admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, taking indecent images of children and distributing indecent images of children.

Stanley, of Tilbury, Essex, was jailed for four-and-a-half years and Schofield, of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for three years and four months at Bradford Crown Court on Friday.

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NCA detectives began an investigation last April after receiving intelligence Stanley had accessed three Category A - the most serious - child abuse videos.

Officers arrested unemployed Stanley at Schofield’s home in Dewsbury, on 23 April last year.

He was released on conditional bail while the investigation continued.

Forensic examination of Stanley’s mobile phone showed he had sent Schofield a Category B indecent image of a child on 6 May, 2019.

She was subsequently arrested on 20 May 2020. Schofield was also released on conditional bail while the NCA’s investigation continued.

Officers uncovered disturbing chats between the pair in which they talked about child abuse, discussed alleged previous abuse of the girl and plotted future abuse.

There was evidence that Stanley had four Category B images on his phone including two screenshots he took of the video call where Schofield abused the eight-year-old girl.

Officers identified and safeguarded the youngster, the NCA said.

On 30 September, 2020, NCA officers arrested Stanley and Schofield for serious child sexual offences.

Jacque Beer, NCA regional head of investigations said: “These were sickening crimes where Stanley and Schofield had disturbing conversations about their fantasies.”

The couple were also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life and were made subject to sexual harm prevention orders.