Harlow: Dangerous sex offender jailed thanks to innovative software

A paedophile who sexually abused two young girls was convicted thanks in part to innovative software which recovered incriminating videos he had attempted to delete from his phone.

This software was purchased and funded in part by illicit profits recovered from criminals by the police.

Barry Larkin, 32, was described by sentencing judge Richard Wilkin as a “paedophile and a complete coward” after he was unanimously convicted of eight charges following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

An investigation, led by our specialist Child Abuse Investigation Team, established Larkin, of Barn Mead, Harlow, had groomed and abused two young girls in 2022.

The mother of the two girls raised the alarm after her suspicions were raised and detectives launched immediate enquiries.

With support in place, the two victims revealed the extent of the abuse they had suffered.

It was revealed on one occasion Larkin had threatened one of the girls, advising her if she told anyone, then “she would be sorry”.

Police investigation

Larkin was arrested in June 2022, his mobile phones were seized and analysed using new software purchased by Essex Police that year.

This software was partly funded by money recovered from criminal enterprise through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

We were able to recover some footage Larkin had captured of his abusive behaviour.

The trial judge allowed the unusual step of showing some of the abusive material to the jury, playing distressing videos in court.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Rachel Horton explained:

“This was not an easy decision made by the court.
“It was decided that a verbal description of the videos was never going to prove the true extent of what the girls suffered.
“The jury is made up of everyday members of the public and understandably the videos caused the jurors to experience a high level of distress.
“The judge has therefore excused them from any form of jury service for the next 10 years.”

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on six counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching and one count of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Larkin admitted taking an indecent photograph of a child at an earlier hearing.

At the same court on Tuesday 3 September, Larkin was deemed to be a dangerous offender and handed an extended sentence.

Jailed

This sentence will comprise 12 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of two years.

Judge Wilkin said:

“You took away their innocence for your own sexual gratification.
“You are dangerous in my assessment.”

Larkin will remain on the sex offender’s register and subject to notification requirements for the rest of his life.

He will also be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order limiting and monitoring his use of devices.

Lifelong restraining orders will remain in place covering the two victims and their mother.

'Dangerous and opportunistic'

DC Horton added:

“These convictions are the positive result of hard work across a number of different teams within Essex Police, together with the commitment of 12 ordinary men and women who sat through a difficult trial before delivering just verdicts based on the evidence.
“We would first pay tribute to the victims and the family of the victims, who have stuck with us and displayed strength and patience in their wait for justice.
“These two girls suffered awful abuse at the hands of a despicable individual, who was rightly judged to be a dangerous and opportunistic paedophile.
“Both girls have shown remarkable maturity during this investigation and are a credit to their family.
"It is my hope they can now put this case behind them, to some degree, and rebuild their lives.
“This conviction was in part helped by pioneering work by the civilian staff at the Harlow Digital Media Hub to keep Essex Police as a frontrunner amongst other forces when it comes to the recovery and review of digital evidence from devices.
“New equipment and software that was purchased in 2022, some of which is provided through funds recovered from criminal enterprise through the Proceeds of Crime Act, allow us to use criminal profit against other criminals and in support of vulnerable victims.
“These convictions relied heavily on digital evidence, some of which would not have been recovered if not for these improvements.”

The two victims were supported throughout this case, from initial disclosures to sentence, by an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA).

An ISVA operates entirely independently of the police, providing emotional and practical support to victims and survivors of both recent and non-recent sexual abuse.

Synergy Essex provides support and guidance for survivors of sexual and sexual abuse across Essex.

The Essex Rape Crisis Partnership is formed of three organisations:

• CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) who cover mid and north Essex.
• SERICC (Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service) who cover South and West Essex.
• SOS Rape Crisis who cover Southend, Castle Point and Rochford.

Survivors can self-refer and receive emotional support, specialist sexual violence and abuse counselling and or specialist advocacy services, no matter when the sexual violence or abuse occurred. In addition to this, they also offer support to survivor’s loved ones.

For more information about how to get support, visit the Synergy Essex website.

At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.

Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our Support for victims and witnesses of crime page.

To report a crime, please use our digital 101 service. In an emergency call 999.