Daniel Rochford

A depraved couple from Penwortham, Lancashire, carried out sickening sexual crimes involving bestiality and child exploitation from their flat above a veterinary practice. Daniel Rochford, 43, and his wife Jennifer, 42, were sentenced at Preston Crown Court for a range of horrific offences uncovered when police seized their electronic devices.

Daniel Rochford encouraged his wife to have sex with their dogs at their home in New Lane, Penwortham, and recorded the footage for their sexual gratification. The couple shared their twisted fantasies in an online community administered by Jennifer, where they exchanged extreme pornographic material. Upon investigation by Lancashire Police, Daniel was found in possession of 2,180 extreme pornographic images involving bestiality, alongside 165 child abuse images, including 92 category A – the most serious classification. Jennifer had 1,764 such bestiality images. The court heard that the crimes involved only their own animals, and the veterinary practice is no longer operational at the property.

Beyond the bestiality, Daniel Rochford's depravity extended to raping and sexually abusing a schoolgirl, exposing another child to pornography inappropriate for their age, and engaging in sexual communication with a child, sexual assault, and voyeurism. He bullied and humiliated the victims for his own satisfaction, forcing them to relive their trauma during the trial. Judge Guy Mathieson remarked, "You took sexual delight and gratification in watching such abhorrent images. But that was not the worst of your depravity." He further stated, "You have no remorse. You believe you are entitled to do what you want, when you want to whatever woman or girl is in your life, raping them, corrupting them or demeaning them for your own sexual gratification."

Daniel was found guilty of rape, sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, sexual communication with a child, sexual assault, voyeurism, and encouraging bestiality by recording it. The judge ruled that he posed a significant risk of harm to women and children.

• Possession of extreme pornography and child abuse images
• Bestiality encouragement and recording
• Rape and sexual abuse of minors
• Exposure of children to sexual acts

Reports from LancsLive and the Liverpool Echo detail the full extent of the couple's activities, highlighting the shocking location of their flat above what was once a vet's practice. Lancashire Police led the investigation, leading to the seizures that exposed the scale of the abuse.