SEXUAL PREDATOR TURNED DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO 8 YEARS BEHIND BARS

35-year-old Joshua Pelling, a highly predatory paedophile turned drug dealer from Sandown, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for over 20 sexual offences and possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply.

Pelling, previously of Avenue Road, admitted the 21 sexual charges – which included inciting a 10-year-old girl to engage in penetrative sexual activity and indecent images of children – back on 31st October last year.

The court heard back then graphic details of Pelling’s paedophilic offending, which dated between April 2015 and March 2019. It was detailed how some of the girls were asked to complete sexual tasks and send sexual images or videos of themselves. The victims included real girls in Dorset, Lancashire, Humberside and across the pond in America.

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The 35-year-old was given bail but soon found himself back before the courts. On 20th December, Pelling admitted possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply and to a breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after officers raided his Sandown home and found a large quantity of cannabis worth around £3,100. They also found a phone logged into Discord that held a username not registered with the Police.

Pelling was remanded in custody at HMP Lewes to appear at the Isle of Wight Crown Court for sentencing today (Thursday) – well aware that he would most likely receive a lengthy prison sentence.

Standing before the court in an all grey tracksuit earlier this afternoon, Pelling uttered practically inaudible remarks of ‘yes’ to all of the 23 charges put to him.

Prosecutor, Barry McElduff, told the court that the offences were committed on Omegle, LiveMe and TikTok and that Pelling had tried his best to evade the authorities by connecting to his neighbour’s internet routers instead of his own. Police wrongly arrested 1 person after an email trail led back to their address rather than Pelling’s – that individual was subsequently released from custody.

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He was finally caught by Hampshire Constabulary’s Internet Child Abuse Team (ICAT) after they received information from a number of agencies – including the FBI in America.

Pelling posed under numerous aliases on all 3 sites in attempts to conceal his identity including ‘Kitty Rain’, ‘Unicorn Strikeforce’ and ‘Unsub’, to name just a few. He would pretend to be a young girl – like those he was talking with. He would then blackmail the victims by threatening to expose the explicit content he had secured if the children didn’t give in to his continued demands.

Mr McElduff added that it was ‘serious, targeted and strategic offending’ and that Pelling took advantage of children.

Defending, Jim Osborne said that his client fully sympathised with the children that his actions had affected.

Recorder Malcolm Gibney said that the children were persuaded by Pelling to engage in a games-like dare and that the offences were of a nature that any right-thinking person would find disgusting and wholly unacceptable.

Joshua Pelling received a sentence of 8 years in prison with a further 2 years to be served thereafter on extended licence.

Detective Constable Martin Timmis, who led the investigation, said:

“The level of depravity that Pelling reached to torment these poor children for his own sick gratification is utterly despicable.

“The tasks that these girls were forced to perform were shocking and degrading, and has understandably traumatised them.

“Pelling is evil and twisted and belongs in prison. The lives of children have been shattered by his actions, and an innocent man was brought into custody as a result of Pelling’s warped deflection tactics.

“These young girls have shown immense bravery by reporting this abuse to the authorities, and I am grateful to our partners including our overseas counterparts in America who have pulled together to safeguard these children, and put a stop to vile Pelling’s horrific cycle of offending.”