Melvin Miller, a 44-year-old man from Mountsfield in Frome, Somerset, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on 29 April 2020 for a series of horrific sexual offences against two young girls. The case came to light when one of the victims, aged six and 11 at the start of the abuse, confided in a friend, prompting an investigation by Merseyside Police.
Police seized Miller's computer from his home in St Helens, Merseyside, where they uncovered the full extent of his crimes. The hard drive contained videos recorded by Miller himself showing him raping the two victims, as well as a vast library of more than 255,000 indecent images of children. This collection included over 6,000 category A images—the most severe classification—5,000 category B, 74,000 category C, and approximately 170,000 uncategorised images, marking it as the largest such collection ever encountered by Merseyside Police.
Prosecutor John Wyn Williams stated during the trial: 'It was only when the police made a thorough examination of the defendant's hard drive that the extent of what the defendant had done to both these young girls unfolded.' One particularly disturbing video showed Miller offering a donut to one of his victims after abusing her, highlighting the manipulative nature of his actions.
Miller pleaded guilty to 16 counts of raping a child under the age of 13, 12 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of assault by penetration of a child, one offence of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and five counts of making or possessing indecent images. Appearing via videolink from HMP Liverpool, he showed no initial remorse, having denied the allegations during his police interview and claiming there were no indecent images on his computer.
Sentencing Judge Neil Flewitt QC described the offences as having a 'profound' effect on the victims and their families, causing 'irreparable harm'. He noted: 'If you had been truly remorseful you would have admitted your offending at that stage. You waited until you were confronted with the evidence, which you had created yourself and which left you with no option but to plead guilty to these offences.' Although no evidence was found of Miller distributing the abuse videos, the judge emphasised the ongoing trauma for the victims, who would always wonder if it had occurred. He further condemned Miller for creating a market for such abuse through his possession of the images.
Defence counsel Paul Lewis argued that Miller had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity, which the judge acknowledged as the only real mitigation. In addition to the 16-year custodial sentence, Miller was made subject to notification requirements, a sexual harm prevention order, and an extended licence period of 12 months.
Following the sentencing, Mairead Neeson of CPS Mersey Cheshire remarked: 'Miller abused these girls for his own sexual gratification with no thought for the distress, confusion and trauma he was causing them. These were children, dragged into an adult world that they clearly didn't understand and caused them a great deal of suffering. Miller is a prolific paedophile and the Crown Prosecution Service has worked hard to bring him to justice.' Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan of Merseyside Police added: 'Miller is a dangerous sexual predator who will now be facing a significant time in prison and a lifetime of monitoring. Thanks to the bravery of his victims, throughout what is an extremely difficult process, detectives were able to carry out this complex investigation and put Miller before the courts.'
The case, reported by the Lancashire Evening Post on 29 April 2020, underscores the vital role of victim disclosure and thorough police investigations in combating child sexual exploitation.