Knossington man jailed after sexually abusing three children

Joshua Savage, formerly of Somerby Road, was sentenced by a judge yesterday (Wednesday) at Leicester Crown Court after admitting the offences, some of which date back two years.

Savage was given a hybrid hospital order, which means a minimum of two years of the sentence will be served in a secure hospital, and was also served with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

After the hearing, Det Con Matt Gibson, who was the investigating officer, said: “Savage took advantage of these innocent young children for his own sexual gratification and gave no second thought to bragging online about the images he had taken.

“Offenders such as Savage must realise that everything done online leaves a digital footprint and we will use this information to locate them.

“This overwhelming evidence and the imagery found on his devices left with him with little choice but to admit his guilt and face a custodial sentence behind bars.”

Savage was arrested in June 2019 after he had shared two images on an online chatroom where the members appeared to have a sexual interest in children. The images featured Savage sexually assaulting a young child.

Officers were able to trace the defendant via his IP address, leading to his subsequent arrest.

After being taken into custody, his phone was seized and when initially examined it was found to contain a number of indecent images of children along with the two images he shared online.

Savage was charged and appeared at court in July 2019, where he pleaded guilty.

While awaiting sentence, officers discovered he had committed a number of other child sex offences, including offences against two previously unknown victims.

Savage appeared at Leicester Crown Court in January 2020, where he admitted to carrying out these further offences.

Following yesterday’s sentencing, Det Sgt Rob Buckley, from the force’s child abuse investigation unit, said: “Savage’s guilty plea is testament to the hard work and commitment from the team, in particular DC Gibson, to bring him to justice.

“Their determination in building the case against Savage leading to his conviction may well have prevented him from abusing his victims further or indeed other children.”

Savage pleaded guilty in July 2019 to the following offences which happened between June 1 and 24, 2019:

**Two counts of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration;

**Two counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child of a category B;

**Two counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child;

**Three counts of making indecent photographs of children relating to seven images of a category A, five images of a category B and seven images of a category C.

He pleaded guilty in January 2020 to the following further offences which happened between January 2017 and June 2019:

**Five counts of sexual assault of a child under 13;

**Two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity;

**Three counts of taking indecent photographs of children relating to 186 images of a category A and one image of a category B;

**Three counts of making indecent photographs of children relating to 134 images of a category B and 286 images of a category C;

**Three counts of distributing indecent photographs of children relating to one image of category A, two images of a category B and five images of a category C;

**One count of taking an indecent photograph of a child relating to five images of a category B.