Basingstoke man and partner jailed for 'appalling' child sex abuse Published duration 20 August 2019

image copyright Hampshire Constabulary image caption James Hedges and Lauren O'Hanlon repeatedly abused a young boy

A "prolific" sex offender has been jailed for 16 years for "appalling" sexual abuse inflicted by him and his partner on a young boy.

James Hedges, 36, from Basingstoke, and Lauren O'Hanlon, 28, committed the offences at an address in Ash, Surrey, in November 2017, police said.

The pair were each found guilty of five counts of sexual assault after a trial at Winchester Crown Court.

O'Hanlon, of no fixed address, was jailed for eight years.

The offences came to light when police found images of the abuse on a phone which Hedges was using in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Indecent images

Det Con Dan Lucas said: "On examination of his phone we found evidence of the appalling abuse that both Hedges and O'Hanlon had inflicted on this child.

"The phone also contained more than a thousand other indecent images of children.

"Hedges in particular is a prolific offender, having been convicted four times previously for making and distributing indecent images of children."

Hedges, of Cumberland Avenue, was also found guilty of 10 counts of making and distributing indecent images as well as breaching the order.

O'Hanlon was convicted of six counts of making and distributing indecent images.