An Isle of Wight man who sexually abused 9 children – some as young as 4 – has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years.
Jonathan Richard Maertens, 35, of Richmond Meade in Freshwater, recorded footage of himself sexually abusing female children aged between 4 and 17.
Maertens in many cases edited the footage and stored it on hard drives at his home. At this stage, there is no evidence that this footage was distributed any further.
The court heard the devices were seized when officers executed a warrant at his home address. Almost 2,500 pieces of footage and over 12,000 indecent images detailing his direct offending were found on the hard drives. In addition to this, a further 6,500 videos and 197,000 indecent images of children were also located.
During this investigation, a specialist team of officers have identified all the children who the defendant has committed offences against and they and their families have been provided with cross agency support throughout.
Maertens pleaded guilty to 34 separate indictments:
- 10 multiple incident counts of rape of a child under 13
- 3 counts including 2 multiple incident counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration
- 5 counts of sexual assault of a child under 13
- 3 counts including one multiple incident count of rape of a child
- 2 multiple incident counts of assault by penetration of a child
- 3 counts of sexual assault of a child
- 3 counts of taking indecent photographs of a child
- 1 count of making indecent photographs of a child
- 3 counts including 2 multiple incident counts of administering a substance with intent
- 1 count of possessing a paedophile manual
- 1 count of assault of an emergency worker by beating
- 1 producing a controlled drug of class B – cannabis.
DI Toby Elcock, of Hampshire Constabulary’s Major Crime Team, said:
“Jonathan Maertens manipulated situations to facilitate access to children, including in some cases stupefying them, before recording his abuse.
Article continues below this advertisement “His actions have caused unfathomable damage to the girls and their families and I hope that this sentence can provide them with the justice they deserve. Services will continue to support these children and their families so that they can start to move on with their lives.
“Our investigation has also sought to safeguard other children that may have been in contact with Meartens. I am therefore appealing to anyone who has concerns about their previous contact with him or has any wider concerns to contact Hampshire Police quoting Operation Foundry.
“This sentence reflects the severity of these crimes and we would encourage anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse to report this to the police.”
Superintendent Sarah Jackson, District Commander for the Isle of Wight, said:
“The officers involved in this incredibly difficult and complex case have worked extremely hard to identify each of the victims and provide them and their families with the support they need, as well as ensuring they presented a case which saw a guilty plea, saving those involved the trauma of a trial.
“We take all reports of sexual assault very seriously, and will do everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice.
“It is so important to us that people have the confidence to report these incidents to us, whether they have happened to you or somebody you know. It is also important to us that survivors and their families are provided with the support they need, and we work in partnership with other organisations to ensure this happens.”
As well as being sentenced to life imprisonment, Maertens has been made subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been banned from working with children. He is now a registered sex offender.
Anyone who has been a victim of child abuse, or has any information about this type of abuse, is encouraged to contact police on 101. Alternatively, contact Child Line on 0800 11 11, or if you are an adult who has been affected, you can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.
An NSPCC spokesperson said:
“Maertens’ actions will no doubt have caused untold distress to his victims. We hope this sentencing gives them and their families some measure of closure.
“Hampshire Constabulary must be commended for identifying all those children that Maertens committed offences against, allowing them to access help and support as soon as possible so they can begin their recovery.”
Just put him down evil scum.
Let the parents get at him. What else is there to say. Lost for words.
cold, empty eyes, that hide the misery and sadness that this idiot has bestowed upon himself – death will be his only escape.
He’s a good reason for bringing back the death penalty cos he deserves nothing less
yep – sadly society will be buying him food, paying for a roof over his head, providing heating, electric, hot and cold water, free healthcare, entertainment and education, whereas we could have saved all that money by having a computer set up, to fire a gun at him in a fireproof room, followed by an automatic incineration. (saves the mental health of decent people, who would be expected to be a firing squad and dispose of the worthless carcus)
I will help with that! I’d shoot him and others like him for free, scum like that shouldn’t be allowed to live, those poor children won’t be living this Christmas they will be existing with constant reminders of what that sob has done.lets hope all his victims get the best present ever and he dies painfully soon.
Well done to the police for their hard work to identify all the victims and get them the help they need.You are guardian angels trying to keep our island safe.
yep Island Mum, I do not know why we in our society tolerate such a weak judicial system – when there is irrefutable proof as there is in this scumbags case, then being taken out of the court, out the back and shot immediately should be the sentence.
Now we have to pay for vile scum to be in prison bring back hanging
This is an incurable illness. So, life should mean until he dies, or, preferably for his life to end now, one way or another to both save costs, to create room for those who ‘might’ benefit from being locked up, and to prevent his victims having to breath the same air as this trash.
The very least his genitalia should be completely removed.
All people who harm children in this way need to be executed but it seems somehow, if possible, even worse, when those who chose to come here, abuse not only our welfare, are housing stock, our laws, but the most precious thing we own, OUR CHILDREN.
Sick-O
NEVER however forget the UK has allowed in those in Rotherham and other areas who do exactly this, but in gangs, NOT a gang but gangs of ‘those who can’t be mentioned’ so they then can’t just be classed as odd ball, or lone evil nutters.
Yet as they are ‘non White’, then their names, their vile actions are dropped from the news as quickly as was possible, despite them deliberately choosing young white girls only to abuse.
IMAGINE if it had been the other way around. The BBC would still be showing programmes about such, shops would be loot ed and riots would have broken out. Laws would have been changed to keep their ilk happy, but we just do nothing, say nothing and have to pretend that our guests in this, our land, have been punished fairly.
All should be treated the same, executed or have life meaning life.
Crime, and punishment is a disgrace in this country now, and giving those who are guests here less publicity than the Hindley’ Bradey and Saville types is more than wrong. Stinks of deep corruption.
I hope he and anyone like him suffer ten fold what they cause to these children. Vile beings.
The liberals will always make excuses for scum, along with the mainstream media, unless there white then its showtime…
Chad, the way those cases were dropped was clear to us to that the Government are trying to protect those who perhaps they know were a mistake to allow here, but can never so admit it openlyas their and past parties have done nothing to stem the flow .
So the only course of action they can take is to silence all and any critics of this deeply flawed policy. The UK is not the only country to suffer, as France and other once safe places are now experiencing huge increases in vile crimes and terror incidents.
Yet, always the same, news is kept as brief as can be when Western innocent people are harmed, yet when any slight mis justice happens to them, the world has to change.
MORE than strange don’t you think Chad?
Government’s, councils, police, social services, media, have allowed this kind of depravity for decades and simply looked the other way..
Rotherham among others come to mind, it’s happening all over the EU expecially Sweden…
it would be better to name the individuals in the state entities, rather than just police, social services etc, as these are faceless organisations – the organisation itself is just a name and cannot look either way – it is the individuals working in those organisations that are responsible…they need naming.
The only plus to this is that he will suffer retribution while in prison. I’m sure some fellow prisoners will take a liking to him inside.
It, will be protected among others just like it….
Richard Huckle another sick scab on the world was got to in prison and deleted. Hopefully this thing will get to spend some one on one quality time with a fellow inmate. At the very least I hope he spends every single second terrified and completely alone and abandoned to sit in his concrete box waiting to die. They should cut his hands off so he can’t relive his disgusting crimes.
Shoot the bastard
Chef him up
Pure scum
Vile scum, seems to be an IOW theme these days.
Bloody annoying when a life sentence is given – then the ending with a minimum of blah blah blah years. Make it either life means life or just say 16 years. Should have been castrated physically with no pain killers . Pitiful excuse for a human being.
16 years! THAT is not life. It should mean it
Very true. He’ll be just 51 when he gets out. Plenty of time to reoffend disgraceful.
Chop his **** off
Always strange how abusers who have offended for years nearly always goes un-noticed by the family.