Photographer offered teenage girls cash for sex shoot

Robin Doherty had already taken indecent pictures of one of the girls, aged 16, and tried to persuade her 14-year-old sister and a friend to be photographed as well, leading to sex with him and possibly another man.

Philip Adams, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday that the part-time photographer also told the girls there would be free cigarettes and alcohol.

The friend, who was only 13, although Doherty believed her to be 15, agreed after sending naked photos of herself to him by her mobile. But before anything happened a relative intercepted one of their messages and the police were involved.

Doherty accepted he had made 8,000 from distributing such photographs to a man who paid him for them and had already sent him one of the 16-year-old.

Officers then discovered more than 25,000 indecent images of children downloaded on his computer and when questioned, he said he had become addicted to them.

Doherty, 43, of Harrogate Road, Eccleshill, Bradford, was jailed for five years after he admitted inciting child pornography, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, two offences of taking indecent photographs, one of distributing them, 12 of making photographs and one of possession.

Sentencing him, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC, said the offences involved the sexual exploitation of children for commercial gain.

Mr Adams said Doherty, who operated from a studio in Brook Street, Ilkley, saw the 16-year-old's details on a website for would-be models and contacted her. Having already had glamour photos taken, she agreed to pose for him. The first visit began with fashion shots, progressing to lingerie, then topless and finally naked, for which he paid her 300. On the second visit she did some pornographic poses.

The other two girls then became interested in what was happening. But while the sister declined his offer of photographs and sex, tearing up her SIM card when he repeatedly called her, the youngest girl began texting him, directly expressing interest.

Robin Frieze, for Doherty, said he was drawn into taking such photos when he found weddings and landscapes were no longer enough to keep the business going. He was approached by the other "money man" who asked him to take naked photos of teenage girls. Fortunately he had not carried out any of the sexual acts discussed with the girls.