Littleborough man admits 20 counts of child abuse

A Littleborough man who acted as an accomplice to Plymouth nursery worker Vanessa George has admitted 19 counts of child sex abuse.

Colin Blanchard, 39, pleaded guilty to 17 charges of child pornography, two sexual assaults on children and one charge of possessing extreme pornography.

Blanchard appeared alongside George, 39, and Angela Allen, 39, at Bristol Crown Court to admit the catalogue of sexual assaults and making and distributing of indecent images.

Allen and George pleaded guilty to a total of 18 charges, while George denied one sexual assault, which the judge ordered to remain on file.

Blanchard showed no reaction as he entered his plea, while at one point a man in the packed public gallery pointed at Blanchard and the usher had to ask him to calm himself.

A joint statement by the Crown Prosecution Service, Greater Manchester Police, Devon & Cornwall Constabulary and Nottinghamshire Police said: "These three individuals each acted in a way which ordinary people will find hard to understand. They may have never met but between them they committed shocking acts of child abuse.

"They showed complete disregard for the lives of their victims, their own families and those they worked with, all of whom have been left devastated by these crimes.

"From the beginning of this enquiry officers from Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire and Devon & Cornwall all worked closely with each other and with the Crown Prosecution Service. It is a small comfort that by acting swiftly and by sharing information, the law enforcement agencies were able to ensure Blanchard, George and Allen did not commit even more offences."

Ann Redrop, Head of CPS South West Complex Casework Unit said: “The South West CCU took on this case at an early stage when it became apparent that any prosecution required all three offenders to be on trial together to allow a jury to understand exactly what they had each done [whether encouraged by one of the others or not] and the Judge to sentence at the end of the day also aware of the full picture. Should they have been tried separately around the country, the sheer magnitude of their offending and the amount of contact they had with each other may not fully have been realised.”

Detective Constable Andy Pilling, of Greater Manchester Police’s sexual crimes unit, said: “Colin Blanchard’s sick fantasies were the catalyst for a chain of events that led to the abuse of innocent children on a truly shocking scale.

“We might never know if these shocking crimes would ever have taken place without Blanchard’s malevolent influence. However, he is clearly the common link in this case and it appears that they were trying to please him in a sick game of one-upmanship. Make no mistake, George and Allen are not victims of Blanchard’s grooming. No-one forced them to carry out his perverted fantasies.

“I want to pay particular tribute to Blanchard’s business partner who did the right thing and called the police. Everyone has a responsibility to report this kind of activity. If you see indecent images of children on the computer of a relative, neighbour or friend, it is your responsibility to contact the authorities.

“This case demonstrates that police forces across the UK and the CPS will work together to pursue these type of people and will not let up in their work to trace, capture and put them before the courts.”

Detective Superintendent Adrian Pearson, Head of Nottinghamshire’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Angela Allen, Vanessa George and Colin Blanchard, carried out dozens of sickening sexual acts on some of the most helpless and innocent children in our society.

“Each of them held positions of trust in respect of their victims and abused this trust in a calculated and wicked fashion time-and-time again.

“In my opinion the three offenders carried out some of the most evil acts imaginable and I hope the sentences they receive reflect the seriousness of offences and the harm and trauma caused to their victims.”