Portsmouth paedophile who scoured the streets for young boys is jailed for five years

Sick David Joll befriended the vulnerable 12-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, before touching his bottom over his trousers twice.

The 58-year-old pervert, who is in a relationship with another sex offender currently serving time in jail, was branded a ‘true paedophile’ by a judge who refused to show him leniency.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Joll, of Northern Parade, Hilsea, has a string of convictions for assaults on boys and having child abuse pictures.

His most recent convictions, including just last year, were for indecent images – with his lawyer claiming viewing these stopped him from going out abusing boys.

Stephen Parish, for Joll, asked for a community sentence with rehabilitation – arguing if his client received a one-year immediate term or suspended sentence he would effectively serve no extra jail time, even if he later breached the suspended sentence, as he had spent six months on remand.

Mr Parish argued Joll looked at images as a ‘way of making sure he doesn’t go near children or actual children’.

But judge Roger Hetherington rejected the last-ditch bid for freedom – pointing out Joll had meant to be completing a sex offender treatment when he was preying on the boy who was playing truant from school.

Joll had taken the boy to his home a day after the abuse and even given him his mobile number, having already groomed him by giving him cash and non-alcoholic drinks.

Probation assessed him and found he has a problem with alcohol and said he poses a very high risk of further sexual offending, the court heard.

Addressing Joll, judge Roger Hetherington said: ‘Turning to your previous convictions, these show that you are a true paedophile in the worst sense of that word who has committed a number of serious contact offences against young boys – true it is that the last of those was in 2004, 2003 but there were a number of them and they were plainly very significant offences.

‘Who is to know that if things hadn’t been brought to a halt in relation to this boy, something far worse than what you had in fact been convicted of doing to him might not have occurred.’

He added: ‘Your have a partner that you wish to resume a life with who is himself a convicted sexual offender serving a custodial sentence for historic sex offences and you are assessed as posting a very high risk of sexual offending posing a high risk of harm to children.

‘It’s my judgment that you do fulfil the criteria of dangerousness.’

The judge found Joll is dangerous, finding that could – but did not – lead to him receiving an extended term on licence.

In a statement read by prosecutor Matthew Lawson the boy said: ‘I feel sick about all of this, I feel better he is in prison as he can’t get out of prison – I want him in prison.’

Joll, who had been held on remand, had denied touching the boy but was found guilty by a jury.

Judge Hetherington increased the sentence due to Joll’s previous convictions and said there was no mitigation for his actions.

A sexual harm prevention order was imposed for 10 years restricting Joll’s contact with children. He must sign the sex offenders’ register for the same period.