Jay Stephen Perren, previously known as Stephen Jardine, aged 34, has been imprisoned for 30 years following his guilty plea to 25 serious sexual offences against children. The case, investigated by Cleveland Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), came to light after Perren's arrest in November 2020, revealing a cache of 33,000 images and videos stored across 140 folders on an SD card hidden in a phone under his pillow.
The offences, spanning a number of years, included five counts of rape, one of which involved a child under 12 months old, sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography, three counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, additional sexual assaults, sexual activity with a child, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, three counts of making indecent images of a child, six counts of taking indecent images of a child, and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. Perren meticulously documented his crimes, organising the material by victim names or locations across various towns and cities in the UK, which ultimately aided investigators in identifying the victims.
Detective Constable Dave Medd, the officer in charge, described Perren as 'a serial offender and a real danger to women and children,' highlighting his devious and manipulative nature in grooming vulnerable victims, recording the abuse, and storing it for his own pleasure. The investigation, lasting two and a half years, involved meticulous digital forensic work by DCs Nikki Meakin, Steve Rookes, Senior Digital Forensic Investigator Connor Spence, and supervisor Detective Sergeant Ian Boyes. A particularly disturbing piece of evidence was an image concealing Perren's face, but investigators linked it to him via a distinctive jacket cuff, matched to an eBay purchase and a photo from a trip shortly after the offence.
Sentencing occurred at Teesside Crown Court on 26 June 2023, with Perren receiving 30 years' imprisonment plus five years on extended licence. Claire Brinton, a Specialist Prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service's Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Unit, praised the collaborative efforts between the CPS and Cleveland Police, noting the victims' bravery in providing compelling evidence that led to Perren's guilty plea. She emphasised the significant impact of Perren's actions and hoped the sentence would bring some closure to the victims, many of whom were unaware they had been victims of crime until contacted by police.
The case underscores the importance of digital forensics in tackling online child sexual exploitation, with Medd crediting the victims' courage and the team's perseverance for the outcome. Perren's crimes have left lasting trauma, but the robust prosecution ensures he poses no further threat for decades.