19 January 2018
A PORN-OBSESSED lorry driver who secretly filmed himself having bondage sex with a schoolgirl has been jailed for seven years.
Paul Cotton, 45, contacted the girl in 2013 when she was just 14 on Facebook and pestered her for naked pictures of herself, which she reluctantly sent him.
When she turned 15 he took her to a Travelodge hotel room in Southend, Essex, where he asked if he could tie her up and blindfold her.
She told him she did not want him to, but he tied her hands with a scarf and blindfolded her with her own leggings.
Unknown to the girl, who had been a virgin, Cotton then recorded them having sex.
Cotton’s abuse only came to light when police raided his flat in Chelmsley Wood, West Mids., in July 2015 while searching for another girl who had been reported missing.
The 15-year-old girl, who had vanished from her family home in Leamington Spa, Warks, was found in his bed.
She was taken away by officers and dad-of-three Cotton was slapped with a “harbouring notice” banning him from having any contact with her.
While officers searched his flat they seized three phones which included photographs of her naked and others of her wearing just a bra and underwear.
They also found clips Cotton had recorded of himself abusing the 15-year-old girl he had sex with in the Travelodge.
Cotton admitted sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two charges of taking indecent images of a child, and seven of possessing indecent images of children.
He was given an extended sentence of seven years in prison at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday.
Judge Sylvia de Bertodano said: “This sort of behaviour has very, very serious effects on young children.
“They have been subjected to behaviour which will have an emotional effect on the rest of their lives.
“You were not only old enough to be their father, you had children of a similar age.
“You persistently targeted young and under-age girls on the internet.
“I have no doubt there is a significant risk of serious harm by you, in particular to young girls, by the commission of further serious specified offences.”
The court heard police found three phones and a memory contained indecent images of other girls aged between 13 and 15.
Prosecutor Graeme Simpson said Cotton admitted he was hooked on porn and was “well into” bondage, power and control.
Amy Jackson, defending, said: “The pre-sentence report does not make the best reading because he, to some extent, went back to denials of the offences.
“He says he’s been struggling with coping with what he’s done.”
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