Depraved mother who plotted to rape her baby and daughter jailed alongside twisted lover who abused the children

Portsmouth Crown Court heard the children's mother joined her lover in the '˜systematic' sexual abuse of the little boy and girl over four months, planning their twisted crimes over 12,400 WhatsApp messages.

One sick message between the pair, who are in their 30s and live in the Portsmouth area, said: '˜I love pushing boundaries with you.' 

Indecent photographs seized by police were among the '˜worst' images an experienced child abuse investigator has ever seen.

Over a four-month period their crimes escalated with the mother '˜force feeding' the older child a sleeping tablet so abuse could be carried out.

Prosecutor Simon Jones said: '˜This was systematic, routine, regular sexual abuse [of the children].' 

Sentencing, judge Timothy Mousley QC jailed the mother for 22 years and her lover for 25 years with a three-year extended sentence.

The Parole Board will decide when they can be released but she must serve half and he must serve two thirds of his custodial term.

Reporting restrictions ban the naming of the children and The News has chosen not to publish the defendants' names so the true nature of crimes can be detailed.

Horrific details of the abuse were uncovered when the mother's partner '“ who was not involved in any crime '“ saw the messages on her phone and alerted police.

Addressing the pair, the judge said: '˜Unsuccessful attempts were made to rape [the girl] after drugging her.

'˜I'm also satisfied that the rapes would have begun within a matter of days if [the phone was not found].

'˜The rape of each child would not have just been a single rape. Potentially in your case the children would have been the victims of repeated rapes over a protracted period of time.'

The judge ruled the mother's lover has a '˜perverted sexual predilection for children of the youngest age,' ruling he posed a danger to the public.

Investigator DC Maria Sweeney said evidence of the '˜dreadful crimes' was laid bare in the many messages.

DC Sweeney added: '˜The substantial sentences given [yesterday] reflect the deplorable crimes committed on young innocent children.

'˜Over a number of months both defendants entered into an agreement via a social media messaging service to sexually abuse victims.'

At a trial jurors unanimously convicted the pair of two charges of conspiring to rape a child, two of assaulting a child by penetration and one charge of administering a substance with intent. 

The mother admitted three charges of taking indecent images, three of distributing images, four counts of making indecent images and one of having extreme pornography. She was found guilty of five charges of sexual assault of a child.

He admitted seven charges of making indecent images and one of making extreme pornographic images.

He still denies carrying out the abuse and the mother claims she was led by him and mentally unwell.