‘Monstrous’ paedophile jailed for nearly three decades

A child rapist who bragged about his offending online has been jailed for nearly three decades.

Ryan Bird believed he was talking to a fellow paedophile online when he told them he had raped two young children.

Bird also sent them several images he had taken of himself abusing the children.

Durham Constabulary were alerted to the conversation, and officers were immediately sent to Bird’s Ferryhill home where he was arrested and taken into police custody.

An investigation was launched, and the full scale of Bird’s horrific offending uncovered.

The 30-year-old’s devices, including mobile phones and games consoles, were seized and analysed by specialist officers from the force’s Digital Forensic Unit (DFU), who found he had created 885 indecent images of children.

Of these, 275 were classed as category A images – the most serious. There were also 362 category B images, and 248 category C images.

Bird was charged with a multitude of offences, including six counts of rape, six counts of taking indecent images of children, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, attempted rape, engaging in sexual activity with a child, sexual touching, and possession of prohibited images of children.

In interview, he repeatedly denied any offending and claimed he was innocent.

However, he later admitted the offences at court and appeared at Durham Crown Court yesterday (March 2) for sentencing where he was handed a 35-year sentence, comprising of 27 years in prison, with eight years on extended licence.

Passing sentence, Judge Jo Kidd said it was the most grotesque set of facts in a case she has ever had to read and that he poses a significant risk of serious harm, particularly to young children.

He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offender register, both indefinitely.

Indefinite restraining orders were also put in place to prevent Bird from making any contact with the children.  

Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland, from Durham Constabulary, led the investigation. He said: “The monstrous offences committed by Ryan Bird against these children are the worst I have ever seen in my 22-year career in policing.

“The investigation has been extremely challenging and traumatic for all involved. However, the professionalism and skill of the team, in particular, OIC Detective Constable Gary Tinkler, and their never-ending pursuit of justice for the children has been truly humbling.

He added: “It is extremely hard to comprehend how anyone could treat young children as nothing more than objects for their gratification.

“I’d like to commend the bravery and courage of the children who have been instrumental in ensuring Bird is brought to justice for his crimes.

“While they may be too young to fully understand right now, I hope this sentence will bring them comfort in the long term and allows them to go on and live the lives they deserve, free from abuse and harm.”

If you have concerns that a child is being abused, call us on 101, or dial 999 in an emergency.

For further advice and support:

• NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000, email [email protected], or visit nspcc.org.uk
• Childline – call 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk