Retired Teacher Who Used Webcams to Direct the "Horrifying and Chilling" Rape and Sexual Abuse of Girls As Young As Four in the Philippines Is Jailed for Life
By Joe Sheppard
A retired maths teacher who used webcams to direct and record the 'horrifying and chilling' rape and sexual abuse of girls as young as four in the Philippines has been jailed for life. Sunday school teacher Paul O'Neill, 57, from Nottinghamshire was told he must serve a minimum of 12 years but may never be released for the unprecedented crimes committed against at least 12 victims over the internet. The paedophile - who has now quit his post as 'minister with special responsibilities for children' with the New Apostolic Church - pleaded guilty to 30 child sex offences in what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind. Nottingham Crown Court heard that the father-of-two preyed on poverty-stricken families from his home, becoming a 'virtual' child rapist during years of sickening abuse. Passing sentence, Judge Gregory Dickinson QC told O'Neill, of Wollaton Vale, Nottingham: 'You demanded that these little children should suffer pain and degradation. 'This is a case without parallel in the experience of all of us involved - police, counsel and judge. 'Some of these ghastly events you recorded for repeat viewing. I have seen a short compilation - it should reduce any compassionate human being to tears. 'I do not know when it may be safe to release you into the community. A sentence of life imprisonment means that you will not be released unless and until the Parole Board considers that it is safe to do so.' The court heard O'Neill - who retired from The Becket School in Nottingham last year - arranged the abuse via instant messaging to satisfy his 'fetishes' with child abuse, virginity and incest. Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor James Varley told the court: 'Mr O'Neill, a retired teacher, a bastion of the local church community and a Sunday school teacher, appeared to be a wholesome married father of two. 'In fact, he had a dark side to him which he kept concealed - he was obsessed with the sexual exploitation of pre-pubescent girls.' O'Neill, who sat in the dock with his face and body angled away from court reporters and police officers in the public gallery, enjoyed the financial imbalance between him and his victims, the court heard. The victims - aged between four and 15 - included some from families desperate for cash for medicine and hospital bills.
On one occasion, the court was told, O'Neill offered to double his payment if the victim was aged just five. After the ordained church minister pleaded guilty to offences including three charges of child rape, conspiracy to rape, arranging the commission of child abuse and child prostitution, Mr Varley said: 'It was that (financial) imbalance which allowed him to do what he did. 'There is, it would seem, tragically, an industry in the Philippines whereby very young children are exploited for the titillation of western men over the internet on webcams. 'He was - via text - providing instructions as to what should happen. It is quite chilling in its coldness.' Other offences admitted by O'Neill included making 3,416 indecent images of children between 2008 and 2016, and possessing a further 2,832 prohibited images when he was arrested in November last year. After O'Neill's arrest, it became clear that he sent around ?6,000 to people in the Philippines and had visited the country, ostensibly as a teacher for a charity. Following O'Neill's arrest, the New Apostolic Church in the UK said: 'As soon as we became aware of the allegations, O'Neill was instructed to cease all church activities and he subsequently resigned. 'We can confirm that the charges do not relate to the New Apostolic Church in any way.'
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